After Denmark and Austria, Greece, Spain, Hungary and some German regions are starting on Wednesday vaccination campaigns against Covid-19 for children under 12 years old.
Vaccination of 5-11 year olds has been authorized in the European Union since November 25, with a version of the Pfizer vaccine that is less strong than that intended for adults.
In Germany, where opponents of vaccination remain mobilized, several regions, including the capital Berlin and Bavaria, are launching this Wednesday.
A few days before the end of the year holidays and after weeks of procrastination from the German vaccine commission, these “Länder” have chosen to recommend the vaccination of children with risk factors or whose family and friends present co-morbidities.
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At Jakob Maske, a Berlin pediatrician, several parents have already made an appointment but many also call "for advice".
In addition to vaccination among pediatricians and general practitioners, large-scale actions are planned at the Berlin Zoo and the Natural History Museum, or in schools.
"Keep the school open as long as possible"
Children will receive two shots of the vaccine over a three to six week period.
Pharmacy wholesalers have received around 2.2 million doses reserved for this young audience.
With a virulent fourth wave and explosion rates among children in some localities, the German vaccine commission has drawn criticism for the slowness and reluctance of its recommendations, issued only a few days ago.
Read also Covid-19: Germany facing a "massive" pandemic of unvaccinated
With vaccination of children, "there is a much better chance of keeping the school running for as long as possible", notes the president of the German Teachers' Association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger.
Contamination two to three times higher in 5-14 year olds
The World Health Organization (WHO) itself observes that the age groups between 5 and 14 are currently the most affected by the pandemic, sometimes with rates two to three times higher than in the rest of the world. population.
Hungary will also launch its campaign for 5-11 year olds on Wednesday.
In Greece, more than 20,000 parents have made an appointment to have their child vaccinated also from this day.
Spain, one of the good pupils of vaccination in Europe, simultaneously opens its campaign of injections to 5-11 year olds, in the hope of fighting against the upsurge in contamination among young people and the transmission of the virus in the family environment.
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According to the authorities, 3.3 million children are likely to benefit from the vaccination.
“At present, children under 12 are the age group with the highest cumulative incidence of Covid-19 cases,” recalls the Spanish Ministry of Health.
Even if there is more indecision than during the adult vaccination campaign, 74% of parents plan to have their child vaccinated, according to a survey.
"Do like grandpa and grandma"
A government television campaign features children rejoicing that it is "their turn" to be vaccinated to act like "grandpa and grandma, papa and mama, auntie and uncle, the mistress" and to be able to "kiss without limits, help put an end to this virus and protect the elderly ”.
Llega el momento de vacunar a los niños y niñas from 5 to 11 años.
Continuamos avanzando para to protect to the population y seguir recuperando los espacios that the pandemic nos había robado;
para Garantizar that los menores y las personas de su entorno estén más seguros. # YoMeVacunoSeguro pic.twitter.com/Fp7xd0XdVp
- Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) December 14, 2021
Other European countries, such as Italy, Poland, the Baltic countries or even Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Switzerland will start their campaign in the coming days.
Outside of Europe, Canada and the United States and even Israel have also authorized the vaccination of children as young.
China, Chile, Argentina, Venezuela and Colombia vaccinate children from 3 years old, Cuba and Nicaragua from 2 years old.
In France, the vaccination of children at risk of developing serious forms begins this Wednesday.
The government has said it is considering expanding it "to all children" in the coming weeks, on a voluntary basis.
These campaigns start when the WHO warned Tuesday that the Omicron variant is spreading "at a rate that we have never seen with any other variant", and said to fear a saturation of hospitals.
