True, they rarely do serious forms.
But
According to Frédéric Rieux-Laucat, research director at Inserm-Institut Imagine, if we want to reduce the transmission of Covid-19 in the population, young people will have to be included in the vaccination strategy.
Pfizer is preparing to submit an application for authorization to vaccinate 12-15 year olds with the European Medicines Agency.
When will the authority decide?
FRÉDÉRIC RIEUX-LAUCAT.
Once the file is forwarded, it can be quick, about a few weeks.
Then France, like every country, will speak out.
But the next question is that of supply.
Will we have enough doses to move on to immunization of children and adolescents?
This is a major problem.
It will soon be open to those over 50, then the other age groups will come and last, the youngest.
Why have manufacturers waited to launch studies in adolescents?
It is mainly a regulatory problem.
Any medication must have been shown to be effective in adults before it can be used in children.
Second reason, the urgency was to first protect the elderly from serious forms, which is why manufacturers have carried out phase 3 trials in adults.
This remains relevant today.
Since
the majority of the third age is immune, mortality has decreased but we see arriving at the hospital more sixties.
It is therefore important to protect this population.
Read alsoChildren in intensive care: "The Covid-19 affects everyone"
Can the side effects be different in minors?
There is no reason to think so, although it should be verified.
This is the goal of these protocols: to find the right doses to obtain an effective response and the fewest possible side effects.
Clinical trials are carried out by age group.
We start with 15-18 year olds, 12-15 year olds, then children, because transmission is more important among high school students than among nursery and primary.
The 15-18 year olds have more social contacts, it is they who should be vaccinated as a priority.
Could immunizing teens help curb the circulation of the virus, especially in schools?
This is obviously the desired objective!
Apart from those with chronic or genetic conditions, they do not have severe forms or it is extremely rare.
For them, the risk is therefore very low.
But this vaccination would make it possible to slow down the transmission of the virus in the population on the model "I protect myself therefore I protect others".
Even immune, are we sure that they will not be able to catch the virus and transmit it,
which would jeopardize this strategy?
Today, we cannot answer categorically, but observations and information show that vaccination against Covid greatly reduces the risk of contamination.
If we manage to slow down the epidemic, to ensure that the youngest spread the virus less and bring it home less, that will be a victory.
Variants have also changed the game.
Read alsoCovid-19: Pfizer has also started testing its vaccine in young children
In what ?
To return to a more normal life, 90% of adults must be immunized and no longer 60% according to the Institut Pasteur.
We will not succeed!
That is why including the youngest is necessary.
In addition, if there are reservoirs of unprotected individuals, the epidemic may restart thanks to new variants.
They will then spread more easily.
To hope to end the epidemic, it is therefore necessary to vaccinate children and adolescents.
This strategy will also allow a more serene return to school in September?
Obviously!
The ideal would be to vaccinate during the summer, before the resumption of the courses.
Now we come back to the question of doses and logistics.
Another question, and not the least, what will be the level of acceptance of families?
A communication campaign will be necessary in order to explain and reassure.