Children “at risk”, aged 5 to 11, can be vaccinated from this Wednesday, December 15 in France. What diseases are affected by this expansion of the vaccination campaign? How will it be? What is the Covid-19 serum used for this age group? We take stock.
- The vaccination of children, aged 5 to 11, “at risk” opens this Wednesday, December 15.
- The children concerned by this expansion of the vaccination campaign are those who present at least one comorbidity and who live in the entourage of an immunocompromised person.
- A lower dose version of the Pfizer vaccine is given to vulnerable children aged 5 to 11.
- Several European countries, such as Greece, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia, are embarking on the vaccination of children.
A new stage of the French vaccination campaign begins today. This Wednesday, December 15, the government opened vaccination to 360,000 children, aged 5 to 11, likely to develop serious forms of Covid-19 and to those living in the entourage of immunocompromised people. Eligible children are those with heart, respiratory, chronic liver, neurological and kidney diseases. Among the priority pathologies, there are also cancers, primary immunodeficiency, trisomy 21, obesity, diabetes and asthma.
At least one parent’s consent
In a document sent to health professionals, the Ministry of Health specified that children could receive the vaccine against Covid-19 in health establishments and specialized services. “The presence of at least one accompanying parent is necessary for the vaccination of this age group”, can we read in the sheet. A parental authorization form must be signed by at least one of the two parents before the administration of the serum.
New advice regarding the vaccination of all children
The Department of Health said the vaccine injected into vulnerable children was a lower-dose version of the Pfizer formula. In an opinion published on December 6, the Vaccine Strategy Orientation Council (COSV), an advisory body, considered that the indications for vaccination of this age group “seem united.” “As soon as real-life data from the United States becomes available (possibly late December 2021), and if it validates safety and efficacy data from clinical trials, then expanding vaccination to all children under 5 to 11 years should be recommended”, developed the board.
The French government has asked the Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS) and the National Consultative Ethics Committee to decide, this Thursday, December 16, on the question of vaccination open to all children.
Which European countries have opened up vaccination to children?
France is not the only country to have opened up vaccination to children. Denmark, Spain, Greece and Austria have also taken the plunge. Hungary is also launching its campaign for children aged 5 to 11 on Wednesday 15 December. In Germany, for the time being, only the capital Berlin has authorized vaccination for this age group. In the coming days, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Switzerland and the Baltic countries will also start expanding the vaccination campaign.
Deactivation of the health pass for some French people
This Wednesday, December 15 does not only mark the start of the vaccination campaign for children. On this date, the health pass of some French people will be deactivated. The people who will not be able to keep a valid health pass are those over 65 who received a second dose before May 17. All patients, regardless of age, vaccinated with Janssen serum before October 17 will also no longer have a valid health pass.
To allow those over 65 to receive a booster dose quickly, the government announced that these patients could go to vaccination centers without an appointment to receive an injection.
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