Posted on Nov 19, 2021, 2:46 p.m.
It is a sensitive subject in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic. Vaccination of 5-11 year olds, a segment of the population very little exposed to severe forms of the virus, is debated in France. Elsewhere in the world, a few countries, such as the United States and Israel, have already stepped up to the plate by starting to immunize the youngest.
In France, if the National Academy of Medicine issued a favorable opinion this week to vaccinate children under 12 against Covid, under certain conditions, the health authorities remain cautious. They will not decide until mid-January, said government spokesman Gabriel Attal on Thursday, after the opinion of the European Medicines Agency expected in December, and that of the High Authority for Health (HAS).
1. What is the impact of Covid-19 on 5-11 year olds?
The rebound in contaminations in France does not spare minors, and even less since the start of the All Saints holidays. If they are very rarely affected by severe forms of Covid, the virus – and its more contagious delta variant – nevertheless spreads well in the youngest populations.
Thus, this week, Public Health France identified among 0-9 year olds an increase in contamination (+ 1,227 cases in one week) and in the incidence rate (it went, in seven days from 45 to 91 cases per 100,000 inhabitants ). Same observation among 10-19 year olds: +1,123 new cases in one week, for an incidence rate increased to 95 cases per 100,000 inhabitants (+27.4 points). However, these increases are not reflected in hospitals, children being very slightly affected by serious forms of the virus. Among the 0-9 year olds, 52 children are hospitalized (+9 in one week), of which 6 are in intensive care. Finally, among 10-19 year olds, 35 minors are treated in hospital, including 4 in intensive care.
At the end of September, the French Pediatric Society reminded that “among all the epidemic viruses that affect children, SARS-CoV2 is one of the least pathogenic”. “The main danger of Covid-19 for the child is not that of developing a serious form of the disease but that of affecting their mental health by repeated measures of class closure and confinement”, insisted the ‘organization. This week, more than 4,000 classes were closed because of the Covid, a record since September.
2. What does the National Academy of Medicine say today?
In its – advisory – opinion published on Wednesday, the National Academy of Medicine estimates that only certain children should benefit from the anti-Covid vaccine. Namely those at risk of serious forms of the virus, or those “living in the entourage of vulnerable adults, in particular the immunocompromised and people with chronic diseases”, specifies the institution in its communicated .
The last clinical trials having been conclusive, the National Academy estimates that the vaccination of the youngest would allow the reduction of the circulation of the virus in “the family environment of the children and the indirect protection of the people at risk who are part of it”; as well as a “potential reduction in the circulation of the virus in primary schools”. But also that this would help prevent the emergence of new epidemic foci in the infant population, as well as the emergence of new variants of the virus.
However, the institution qualifies these arguments, raising an ethical problem in the vaccination of children. “The ethical principle according to which the vaccination of children, who have little risk of developing severe forms of the disease, should not be used, in order to achieve collective immunity, to compensate for the refusal of vaccination of certain adults”, indicates the ‘Academy.
3. Which vaccine can be used in children?
For the moment, Pfizer’s serum against Covd-19 is the first to have received the approval of the American authorities. In mid-October, the Food And Drug Administration (FDA) review panel found that Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines presented more benefits than risks for 5-11 year olds.
The company presented the results of a clinical trial that showed the vaccine to be 90.7% effective in preventing symptomatic forms of the disease in children aged 5 to 11. Its competitor Moderna is still in phase III of its clinical trial, but the first results are promising and an authorization request has been made.
4. Which countries are already vaccinating children under 12?
In September, Cuba became the first country to open vaccination for minors, aged 2 to 18. These receive one of the two serums developed by the country, which have not received authorization from the WHO for distribution abroad.
In the United States, the vaccination campaign for children began on November 8. Of the 28 million children concerned, more than 10% of them have already received a first dose of Pfizer, or 2.6 million the White House reported on Thursday. A policy closely followed by Israel, which began vaccinating the youngest in mid-November. Until then, it only applied to 12-17 years old for minors. Other countries, including China, the United Arab Emirates, Cambodia and Colombia, have started vaccinating children under 12, but with Chinese vaccines.
5. What does the French government say?
In France, the government is playing it safe. A decision will be made “as soon as we have scientific recommendations”, explained Gabriel Attal on the LCI set on Thursday.
“On the vaccination of children, there is the European health agency which studies this subject and, then, it is necessary that the French authorities, in particular the High authority of health, seize it and give themselves an opinion”, detailed the government spokesperson. Work that should not be returned before “the beginning of the year 2022”, he said.
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