At the end of each consultation, the pediatrician always asks the same question of the children.
“See you again this summer for the Covid vaccination?
“Asks Christophe Batard, amused by the surprised looks of the parents.
Not only is it not allowed, except for the very fragile, but it is not even on the calendar.
But what is this doctor saying… He believes it.
"It will happen ... Anyway, if we want to obtain collective immunity, we will not be able to do without the under 15s, they represent 18% of the population", supports this member of the French Association of Ambulatory Pediatrics .
The question is, in reality, far from being anecdotal especially since, faced with the large number of appointments available to get stung, specialists now advocate the expansion of the campaign.
At the end of March, Pfizer-BioNTech announced that
his vaccine was 100% effective on adolescents 12 to 15 years old, in other words none had a symptomatic form of Covid.
"I note that the data is not yet available in a scientific article, and that for the moment, we must be satisfied with very concise information, nuance Marie-Paule Kieny, the president of the Covid-19 Vaccine Committee.
But these results are very encouraging.
"
Authorized in Israel
For this age group, the manufacturer has therefore applied for authorization in the United States, which is currently being examined.
In Israel, champion of vaccination, "the pediatric association has voted in its favor if the green light from the FDA (
Editor's note: the American drug agency
) is granted", explains to us, from Jerusalem, the doctor. Irène Fermont, immunohematologist and pharmacovigilance specialist.
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And across the Atlantic? “The filing of a file is imminent with the European Medicines Agency,” Pfizer tells us. From there, the answer might drop quickly. Additional studies are underway on children six months to 11 years old. As for its competitors Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, they are currently carrying out the same work.
Faced with epidemic outbreaks, caused by the appearance of variants, would the tactics to overcome the virus be changing? “Indeed, responds the virologist, Marie-Paule Kieny. The initial vaccination strategy focused on eliminating the mortality and morbidity associated with SARS-CoV-2, and for this it was necessary to vaccinate people vulnerable by their age or the existence of underlying pathologies. However, it is visible that in all countries, strategies are evolving and that we now want to prevent the circulation of the virus. "
First, explains this eminent specialist, "to be able to reopen society (culture, sport, economy) without fear of an epidemic outbreak, including among young people who would transmit viruses to vulnerable populations and to avoid it as much as possible. appearance of variants ”.
The youngest, hitherto excluded from the vaccination campaign, would therefore be the missing link, but necessary to tame the epidemic.
"It will be essential to also vaccinate adolescents and probably school-age children," says the virologist.
The safety of mRNA vaccines, to date, seems to be satisfactory, which allows it to be considered.
"
Fight against the depression of the youngest
The pediatric infectious disease specialist, Robert Cohen, is also convinced of this.
“We had to protect the most fragile, now we have to protect the most contaminating.
"Unlike children, this is the case with teenagers," as contagious as adults ", says the president of the national professional pediatric council, chaining the arguments: RNA vaccines limit the risk of transmission from" 60 to 90 % ”Tolerance is good and teens are very good antibody makers.
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What the new Institut Pasteur study says
But, apart from the low risk of Kawasaki syndrome, which has affected some 300 children, mostly teenagers, the risk of having a serious complication of Covid is low for middle and high school students. “Let's face it, the individual benefit seems modest, but it is indirect. Vaccinating them is the only way to reopen schools, in a safer way, and to fight against isolation, depression on the rise ”.
In Israel, 16-18 year olds already receive these injections so that the bac exams can run normally. “For the moment, there has been no signal, if there had been a problem, we would have seen it,” warns Irène Fermont. The benefit would be psychological, with physical consequences, initiating a paradigm shift. “Teenagers need to get out, to live, we can't spoil their lives for them indefinitely! », Says Robert Cohen.
If this strategy interests the authorities, the Ministry of Health is not there yet. “We continue in order of priority to avoid serious forms, we are told. And the question will eventually arise when we have enough doses to cover the entire French population. Another pitfall, and of size, could complicate the situation. According to Public Health France, only 36% of those under 24 intend to be vaccinated.
