For two weeks, all children aged 5 to 11 can be vaccinated against Covid-19. But the campaign is not yet very successful. As of January 5, only 64,020 of them had received at least one dose (21,190 have a complete vaccination schedule) out of a potential audience of 5.8 million – or 1.1%. “It takes time for things to fall into place”, admitted Monday Mohamed Si Abdallah, deputy director general of the Regional Health Agency of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, on France Bleu.
Vaccination was opened to all children in this age group on December 22, a week after opening to the most at-risk subjects and to those living with immunosuppressed people. A green light given after favorable opinions from the National Consultative Ethics Committee, the High Authority for Health and the Vaccine Strategy Orientation Council (PDF).
“The current context of strong viral circulation reinforces the need to vaccinate children of this age group without further delay, wrote the latter. Children attending primary school constitute the population among which the virus circulates the most. ” It takes the agreement of one of the two parents for this vaccination, which is carried out with the Pfizer vaccine, at a third of the dosage of an adult.
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The cases prior to this opening of vaccination to children from 5 to 11 years old – around 30,000 vaccinations “off-label” (marketing authorization) – correspond to children close to the 12-year-old threshold and to particular situations of very vulnerable young people or living in the entourage of very vulnerable people, always after medical advice.
“We are not very surprised, we did not expect queues in front of the centers, especially as it was announced just before the holidays”, explains Christèle Gras-Le Guen, president of the French Pediatric Society (SPF). This low number of vaccinations reflects the degree “urgency felt by population”, whereas “priority” today seems to inject “the third doses to the French who have not yet received it”.
This smooth start, in any case, allowed “to organize the centers with a pediatric welcome that we wanted quality, so that the children are not taken care of in an anxiety-provoking environment”. It also made it possible to deploy rapid serological tests, in order to save a second dose in the event of a positive result. To best support this very young audience, dedicated slots have been set up, but not all of them have yet been deployed.
“In my region, calls have been made for nursery nurses to strengthen the teams.”
Christèle Gras-Le Guen, President of the French Pediatric Societyto franceinfo
“In Nantes, she illustrates, we rely on Saint-Jacques [un centre de vaccination], authorized to receive children. “ The movement is national. Since Monday January 3, children can benefit from slots at the Palais des Sports in Lyon. In Ille-et-Vilaine, in Redon, appointments have been reserved for 5-11 year olds since Wednesday, one and a half days a week. The children previously had to go to Rennes.
Some 350 centers are planned as part of this pediatric vaccination campaign. Children can also be vaccinated by their doctor or pediatrician, at home, or by a nurse on medical prescription. The president of the French Pediatric Society thus calls for a mobilization of liberal doctors because “without them, we risk not being able to vaccinate much “.
“Parents have questions and their first point of contact is the treating pediatrician, continues Christèle Gras-Le Guen. During the holidays, it was difficult to interact with them. Now that the bronchiolitis epidemic begins to recede, we will have more time to answer their questions. I think it will ramp up. “
“The supplies are there, we have the doses and it’s something operational.”
Christèle Gras-Le Guen, President of the French Pediatric Societyto franceinfo
The fact remains that the opinion is rather opposed to the vaccination of 5-11 year olds. Thus, some 37% of people polled by the YouGov institute are in favor and 52% of respondents say they are unfavorable, according to a survey published by HuffPost. In early December, 43% of parents of children aged 5 to 11 intended to have them vaccinated, according to the latest survey from Public Health France. In view of these reservations, the government prefers to procrastinate. “For the moment, there is no question of health or vaccination pass for children under 11”, Adrien Taquet, Secretary of State in charge of Children, declared in the HuffPost at the end of December. “No more than compulsory vaccination.”