“Important reminder: it is mandatory for the parent to make an appointment for the vaccination of his child”, is it written in the header of a document sent Wednesday to parents in Quebec, with the obligatory word written in bold . A note that is startling, but which in fact underlines the need to make an appointment.
Contrary to what this two-way letter sent Thursday to thousands of parents and signed by the Integrated University Health and Social Services Center (CIUSSS) of the West Island of Montreal may suggest, vaccination of children is not compulsory.
SCREENSHOT THE PRESS
Letter sent by the CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal
In fact, what is essential is to make an appointment if you want your child to receive the vaccine. Questioned about this formulation, the Ministry of Health and Social Services replied that it would inform the team responsible for the campaigns of this comment. The CIUSSS de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, for its part, replied that the document was a “tool to support parents” who also received, at the same time, an explanatory letter. -we.
In the documentation sent to parents, it is stated that the vaccine against COVID-19 (which is also offered to people who do not have a health insurance card) “is very effective in 5 to 11 years old and highly safe. “.
The Canadian Pediatric Society also believes that “the benefits of vaccination against COVID-19 outweigh its risks, and the vaccine is recommended for all eligible people, including children and adolescents 12 years of age and over. A slightly higher risk of myocarditis and pericarditis (less than 1 in 10,000 people) is reported after vaccination […] especially in adolescents and young adults under 30 years of age, in males and after the second dose. Even though this safety signal is more frequent than the expected base rate, most cases are mild ”.
The DD Anne Gatignol, professor of microbiology at McGill University, is also in favor of the vaccination of children.
With approximately 4 billion doses injected to date, she notes, “we have a decline in the number [de cas] And you don’t have to worry about long-term side effects. “RNA is a very unstable molecule […], it stays in the cytoplasm of the cell and it cannot go to the nucleus. It cannot therefore modify our DNA, which itself remains in the nucleus of our cells. Even less can reach the germ cells [reproductrices]. There is therefore no risk of affecting fertility ”, for example.
The DD Gatignol also stresses that the rare heart problems reported in young adults were of the order of “inflammatory reactions which extend a little more”. “I could suggest giving the injection to the right arm, which is further from the heart,” she continues. However, no studies have compared the side effects following an injection to the right or left arm. ”