New change in the organization of the vaccination campaign.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, the Ministry of Solidarity and Health indicated that the agreement of only one parent would now be required to vaccinate children aged 5 to 11 against Covid-19.
“
We are simplifying things, only one of the two parents is enough
”, it was specified.
Read alsoCovid-19: in children, cases soar with Omicron, vaccination skates
At the start of the vaccination campaign for children, the agreement of only one parent was enough.
Then, after a request from the Council of State, the agreement of both parents became essential for children aged 5 to 11 years.
A development regretted by the president of the Vaccine Strategy Orientation Council (COSV), Alain Ficher: "
I think it's a little unfortunate, it's an obstacle that dramatizes this notion of vaccination a little
", judged the "
Mister vaccine
" of the government, at the beginning of January.
A campaign deemed insufficient among children
An urgent DGS will be transmitted “
to inform widely of this simplification
”, added a representative of the ministry. Another change, the ministry will “
open the list of effectors of pediatric vaccination
”: nurses, pharmacists and midwives will be able to join the battle, alongside vaccination centers. These changes are aimed in particular at accelerating vaccination among the youngest, whereas the Omicron variant is spreading widely in this age group and the current campaign is considered to be largely insufficient.
As of January 9, for example, according to figures from the Cnam, only 2.8% of children aged 5 to 11 with at least one comorbidity had received a first dose of vaccine against Covid-19.
And this, while these young people are more at risk of developing a serious form of the disease.
"
It's a figure that seems too low [...].
It is about the health and protection
“of children, noted a representative of the ministry.
"
These children do not have a very high risk of complications, but it remains significantly higher
" than for children with no comorbidity, pleaded Alain Fischer, calling for "
vaccinate fragile children even more and faster
".
“
We know the reluctance, it exists, but vaccination is worth it
“, hammered the professor.
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For the time being, the general campaign among children is making little progress, reaching less than 5% of the population concerned: “
We cannot say that it is a great success [...]. Vaccination remains relevant, effective and safe
”, declared Alain Fischer. Severe forms are "
rare
" in these children, but "
that does not mean that they do not exist
". In addition, vaccination limits infection, if not prevents it: it can therefore mitigate class closures and contamination within this age group, explained the president of the COSV. And to add: "
We must vaccinate as much as possible, as quickly as possible
", without setting a quantified objective to be achieved.
An opinion joined by the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Medicine: in a joint press release published on Tuesday, the two institutions underlined "
the high incidence of contamination in children in a context favorable to transmission in schools and family
", then leading to a "
significant increase in daily pediatric hospitalizations
".
The two academies emphasize the benefits of childhood vaccination, and “
recommend hastening the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 against Covid-19 to achieve good vaccination coverage as quickly as possible
”.
They call for "
no more hesitation
", seeing it as a useful protection against Omicron.
