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Variant of Covid-19: "It may be necessary one day to vaccinate children", warns Alain Fischer

2021-01-15T20:37:43.410Z


Alain Fischer, the government's Vaccine Mister, believes that mutations in the virus could force us to adapt our strategy.


Professor Alain Fischer hates this nickname, but that's how the French now know it: Monsieur Vaccin.

While the citizens' council on vaccination against Covid-19 is meeting this Saturday, January 16 for the first time, the 71-year-old doctor reveals to us the composition of the special scientific council for vaccine and does not hide to think about the immunization of children , if the greatest contagiousness of the variants of the virus is confirmed.

You were appointed on December 3, but the French are still struggling to understand your mission ...

PR ALAIN FISCHER.

My role is to advise the government on the vaccine strategy and its scientific, medical and societal aspects.

A successful vaccination is, of course, safe and well-delivered vaccines, but also a population that accepts it.

For this, I will rely on a scientific council of thirteen members, whose composition I am announcing to you.

Among them, there are researchers, a sociologist, a pharmacist, a general practitioner, but also representatives of associations… On the same plan as the scientific council of Jean-François Delfraissy, the experts will enlighten the policies.

The principle: we advise, they decide.

What about the citizen council, very slow in its implementation?

Its 35 members are meeting for the first time this very Saturday.

They were drawn by lot taking into account the diversity of ages, socio-professional categories, geography and were trained.

Their work will help the campaign.

They will relay the questions of the population.

In 2016, I led a citizens' committee and I met extremely motivated people.

So the strategy is not fixed?

On the contrary !

It will move according to the epidemic situation.

The new variants could, for example, lead us to change the strategy.

Perhaps one day it will be necessary to immunize the children.

In Great Britain, we are investigating whether their higher infection rate is linked to this variant.

If this is confirmed and the children transmit the virus, the question will arise.

READ ALSO>

Covid-19: the 4 questions that we ask ourselves in the face of the increasing contamination of children


The pattern has already moved on Thursday, with a new list of priority people.

Who are they ?

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The most vulnerable today are the elderly.

When you are over 80, the risk of dying from Covid is 8,000 times greater than at 20.

In addition to health professionals over 50, we have added a population with pathologies exposing them to a very severe form of Covid: cancer patients undergoing treatment, chronic renal failure including dialysis, people with Down's syndrome, or those with rare diseases… There are 4 million people at risk.

But the availability of doses does not allow us to include all of them now.

I am a doctor, I know how difficult it is.

As of Monday, these 800,000 people will be able to be vaccinated.

Isn't the quack assured when the meeting platform is already skating?

It is obvious that it is complicated to organize!

There will not be one, but several gateways to vaccination: telephone, Internet, mail from Health Insurance.

For those at very high risk, many will receive their injection during their hospital visits.

For those with reduced mobility, it is planned to be able to vaccinate them at home.

But will there be enough doses for all these priority audiences?

We will adapt to available stocks.

Today, 500,000 Pfizer vaccines arrive in France every week.

The European Medicines Agency is expected to take a decision at the end of the month on AstraZeneca.

Hope it is validated.

As it can be stored at 4 ° C, it is easier to use and we already know that we will receive millions of doses.

If priorities are added, won't nursing homes be deprived of part of their doses?

No, they are secure.

It is a priority, a question of ethics.

If we are not able to protect the most fragile, I wonder in which society we live.

I am also surprised to hear people say:

Why not vaccinate everyone, whatever their age?

No !

If we do, it will be at the expense of the most vulnerable.

Late on its own vaccine, should Sanofi produce that of Pfizer?

Sounds smart to me.

Globally, we will be able to manufacture 4 billion doses in 2021, or 2 billion of the eight people on the planet.

If while waiting for its vaccine, Sanofi can produce others, it must be done.

They will also be useful for people in poor countries.

For an ethical question and because if they are not protected, the virus will continue to circulate among them and will return to us.

READ ALSO>

Vaccination: France will have to "adjust" its pace because of delays from Pfizer


Will Pfizer and Moderna really resist the variants, including Brazilian?

For the British, the data are reassuring, although they must be confirmed.

For the South African and the Brazilian, we are a little less advanced.

Variants, as we know, there will be others.

Depending on these new strains, it is not excluded that the vaccines evolve or that they have to be redone if necessary.

In 2016, you chaired the citizen vaccination committee and the antivax had flooded your mailbox.

And today ?

Ah, you remind me of a bad memory.

Over the Easter weekend, I had received thousands of emails, preventing me from being in contact with my patients.

Today that is not the case, but I am not claiming victory.

Even if there is 60% membership, there is still reluctance, which is why we have to explain again and again to the French.

The composition of the special vaccine scientific council

"Not superstitious," he smiles, Alain Fischer will rely on a joint scientific council of thirteen members, including himself.

Immunologist

Brigitte Autran

, hospital pharmacist

Christophe Bardin

.

Health user representatives

Nicolas Brun

and

Yvanie Caillé

.

Cognitive science researcher

Coralie Chevallier

, epidemiologist

Arnaud Fontanet

, also member of the special Covid scientific council.

Public health specialist

Mélanie Heard

, former deputy director of the World Health Organization

Marie-Paule Kieny

, virologist

Xavier de Lamballerie

.

But also the nurse specializing in children

Anne Monnier

, the general practitioner

Henri Partouche

, the sociologist

Patrick Perreti-Watel

.

Source: leparis

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