Yasmina Kattou
The Covid-19 vaccination campaign for the most fragile children aged 5 to 11 began on December 15, and on December 22 for this entire age group. Two weeks later, only 1% of them are vaccinated. For the pediatrician Fabienne Kochert, this finding is not surprising and can be explained by several reasons.
Two weeks after the opening of the vaccination against Covid-19 for children aged 5 to 11, only 1% are vaccinated. This represents approximately more than 70,000 children, among the 6 million of this age group. For pediatrician Fabienne Kochert, this figure is not surprising. On Europe 1, the President of the French Association for Ambulatory Pediatrics (AFPA) explains the reasons for this very slow start.
No certainty for pediatricians
“Not all vaccination centers take care of children since a dedicated pediatric line is needed and that requires training of professionals in the technique of injection in children,” she raises. “There is also the reluctance of parents. Of those I have seen since the beginning of the year, none has registered in a vaccination center and they are all waiting to hear from me,” she continues. Indeed, more than 60% of parents are still opposed to it.
As for vaccination in a pediatric practice, Fabienne Kochert returned to the difficulties she encountered. “You can only order one vial per week, which means you can vaccinate ten children per week. I ordered one last week and the pharmacist told me I would have it two weeks later. So it’s a bit complicated, we cannot offer vaccination appointments if we are not sure of having the dose or when we will have it. “