A thinner needle and a vaccine diluted three times in order to be adapted to the stoutness of the little ones. Since last week, the most fragile children have been able to be vaccinated against Covid-19. From Wednesday, it will be the turn of the rest of the 5 and 11 year olds, on condition, for health professionals, to be able to administer the vaccines. Which is not the case everywhere.
“I have the ability to get the vaccines at the office, but we have a serious logistical problem since we have all the winter epidemics that double or even quadruple the number of patients compared to usual. So we don’t. we do not have all the staff “, explains Anne-Sylvestre Michot-Cottias, pediatrician and member of the Clinical Research Group in Epidemiology of Val-de-Marne, at the microphone of Europe 1.
Transmission chain links
“You know, when you open a vaccine, you have to immunize about ten children, so in practice you can’t do that right now.” Despite these logistical problems, for the pediatrician, vaccination of children remains a necessity. “They are part of the chain of transmission when initially, initially, that was not the point at all. But the new variants are proving to be more contagious for children.”
In favor of consented vaccination
Seven in ten parents are, however, somewhat skeptical about having their little ones vaccinated. “We also think in a risk-benefit balance. And to our knowledge, among all the countries that have already started vaccination, there are no noticeable side effects in children.” On the other hand, continues Anne-Sylvestre Michot-Cottias, with the current spread of the epidemic, the number of hospitalizations or intensive care admissions is increasing among the youngest. “So for us the risk-benefit balance is in favor of vaccination, but we don’t want it to be mandatory. We would like it to really be with consent.”