Time to roll up the sleeves

We were waiting for a clear message. It came. After weighing the pros and cons, the experts have ruled. Vaccinating children against COVID-19 has more benefits than risks.

The best thing parents can do now is trust the science and send the flea and son up their sleeve, whether it’s at school or at a vaccination center.

Fears remain and this is normal. But they must be put into perspective. This is not the first time that children have been vaccinated in Quebec. Each time, the vaccines carried a low risk of side effects.

Above all, this vaccine comes with real benefits. First for the children themselves, and this is what motivates the campaign that is just beginning.

The operation will prevent severe COVID-19 cases in children – not in large numbers, but every sick child is a tragedy. It will prevent many class closures. It will lessen the educational, social and psychological effects of the pandemic on children.

Then there will be benefits for all of society – a supplement, of sorts. We are thinking in particular of parents who must have their children tested for the slightest runny nose and keep them at home during outbreaks.

The best remedy for fear is information. The Legault government promised that transparent and popular information would be transmitted to parents. So much the better.

The worst thing to do would be to hide the risks of vaccines. Those of greatest concern are the myocarditis and pericarditis which, in very rare cases, have been caused by messenger RNA vaccines in older people. These heart inflammations are treatable, but they are serious.

No cases were seen among the approximately 3,000 children who received Pfizer’s vaccine in clinical trials. This is insufficient to conclude that on a large scale, they will not appear. But there are several reassuring elements.

First, in 12-17 year olds, these risks decreased with age and were very low in 12 year olds. Then, 5-11 year olds will receive a dose three times lower than their elders, which should logically minimize the risks (while offering an impressive 91% effectiveness).

Finally, the recommended eight week interval between the two doses reduces the prevalence of side effects.

Quebec parents who are still worried should know that in the United States, more than 3 million first doses have already been given to children aged 5 to 11 – a number five times greater than that of Quebec children to be vaccinated. And no cases of myocarditis or pericarditis were observed.

It is true that things could happen with the second dose. But once again, the alert would come from the United States. The Americans started immunizing children before us and chose a shorter interval between the two doses.

Considering all the risks and benefits, the experts unanimously conclude that the vaccine is worth the effort. Everything has been weighed. The ethical aspects were considered. There is no reason to question their verdicts.

Faced with such information, the logical choice is clear. The government must now ensure that this information reaches all parents, of all languages ​​and cultures. We have seen huge disparities in high school vaccination rates, especially in Montreal. This should guide the interventions for the primary.

It is therefore crucial to inform. And one can certainly incite. But then it is the parents who will decide whether or not to have their children vaccinated. Both the National Advisory Committee on Immunization in Ottawa and the Committee on Immunization of Quebec have insisted on the importance of not penalizing or stigmatizing young people based on this choice.

This probably explains the conciliatory tone adopted Tuesday evening by the Legault government. He says he does not “want to put pressure on anyone”, gives up setting a vaccination target for children and reiterates that no vaccination passport will be imposed on children.

This gentle approach is the right one.

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