The vaccination of under 18s against Covid-19 will be done
“maybe”
but
“not right away,
” Health Minister Olivier Véran said on BFMTV on Monday.
"It's not immediately, but it may be,"
he replied, questioned by the channel on the subject of this possible vaccination of children and adolescents.
Read also: United States: towards an authorization of the vaccination of adolescents
"It's 'not immediately' because first we have to vaccinate adults and we still have a certain number of tens of millions of French people to vaccinate,"
he detailed.
"And then it's 'maybe' because health authorities believe it might be necessary, at least down to the age of 12."
“The first studies of the messenger RNA vaccines laboratories, Pfizer, Moderna, show that the vaccines are safe and effective. We still need details, an authorization from the European agency, an authorization from the French health authorities. And then we can consider it,
”continued Olivier Véran.
“Again, I don't want to go too fast,”
the minister said. "
In any case, it is not topical because we have adults to vaccinate as a priority".
“We anticipate it of course. We are getting the necessary vaccines (...), but tell you where and when children could be vaccinated, if the vaccines were effective and safe, and if the authorities told us, I would go a little little too far, ”
said Olivier Véran. He said he was optimistic about the effect of vaccination of over 18s on hospitalization figures.
"In the next two to three weeks, we will free up beds in shifts (...) Whatever happens, we will have fewer patients in intensive care,"
he projected.