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The director general of the public health services of France says that children under 12 are not affected by the vaccination campaign against Covid due to the lack of adequate scientific data on the subject. He said, however, that he was confident the back-to-school health protocol would be enough to stave off a fourth wave.
Jérôme Salomon, head of public health in France, said vaccination would focus for now on children over 12 years old.
“We are not immunizing children under 12 at the moment for several reasons,” he told BFM TV on Sunday.
“Partly because we lack sufficient scientific data and studies are ongoing. So we will need to adapt as our scientific knowledge evolves.”
“Today, priority is given to children aged 12 and over.”
The 12-17 year olds represent 7% of the French population according to Santé Publique France.
The latest statistics show that as of the first week of September, around 49% of this group had been fully vaccinated, while 64% had received a dose, compared to around 72% for adults who received only one dose. dose.
Salomon said he was cautiously optimistic about the evolution of Covid-19 in France.
“We are in a crucial period, a turning point in the fourth wave of contaminations due to the new variant, the end of the summer period and the start of the school year,” he said.
Positive development
“I am confident because I think the French are making a collective effort, they have understood the value of vaccination.”
“We have a fourth wave which is evolving positively because we have seen a 20% drop in cases in the space of a week. It is important to note, even if the situation is still very difficult in the overseas territories. -mer, “he said. .
“We have all the ingredients to make the start of the school year a success: adult vaccination, masks, tests, ventilation and school protocol.”
The French Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer, presented at the end of August the health protocol for the start of the school year, specifying that the health record, which indicates the vaccination status of a person, would not be compulsory for students.
However, the health pass will become compulsory for children over 12 from September 30 to access places such as sports clubs, gymnasiums and public swimming pools. The pass is already compulsory for adults in all public places (cinemas, gymnasiums, museums, restaurants) since July 21.
Vaccines for adolescents
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave the green light to vaccinate 12 to 17 year olds with MNRA vaccines developed by Pfizer in June, then Moderna in July.
Despite the rollout, European regulators have warned that both products appear to be linked to extremely rare cases of chest pain and heart inflammation in young adults and continue to monitor side effects.
The issue of child injections has been one of the main points of contention among anti-pass-health protesters, who have joined weekly protests in Paris and elsewhere in waving “Hands off my children” slogans.
Delta impact
According to new data released by U.S. health officials, the Delta variant of Covid does not cause more serious illnesses in children and adolescents.
Salomon said orders had been placed and more doses of Pfizer were due to be delivered to pharmacies and doctors’ offices in the coming days.
He also said that a combination of two brands of vaccine could be used.
“You can combine the vaccines, there is no difference. Someone who has had Pfizer can then have Moderna,” he said.
“The more we are vaccinated, the less we will have to worry about. There are around 57 million French people eligible for vaccination, and we are approaching 50 million (vaccinated). So that leaves a few million people that we still have to convince. “
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