France’s director-general of public health services says children under 12 years of age are not concerned by the Covid vaccination drive because of the lack of adequate scientific data on the subject. He said, however, that he was confident the health protocol for the back-to-school period would be sufficient to ward off the fourth wave.
Jérôme Salomon, France’s public health chief said the focus for vaccination would be on children over the age of 12 for now.
“We are not proceeding with the vaccination of children under 12 for now for several reasons,” he told BFM TV on Sunday.
“In part, because we are lacking sufficient scientific data, and the studies are ongoing. So we will need to adapt as our scientific knowledge evolves.”
“Today, the priority is children 12 and above.”
Twelve to seventeen-year-olds represent seven percent of the French population according to Santé Publique France.
The latest statistics show that as of the first week of September, around 49 percent of this group had been completely vaccinated, while 64 percent had received one dose, compared to around 72 percent for adults having received just one dose.
Salomon said he was cautiously optimistic about the evolution of Covid-19 in France.
“We are in a crucial period, a turning point in the fourth wave of contaminations due to the new variant, the end of the summer period, and the new school year,” he pointed out.
Positive evolution
“I am confident because I think French people are making a collective effort, they have understood the point of vaccination.”
“We have a fourth wave which is evolving positively because we’ve seen a 20 percent drop in cases in the space of one week. This is important to note, even though the situation is still very difficult in the overseas territories,” he said.
“We have all the ingredients to make the back-to-school period a success: vaccination of adults, masks, tests, ventilation, and the school protocol.”
French education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer presented the health protocol for the new school year at the end of August, adding that the health pass, which shows a person’s vaccination status, would not be mandatory for students.
However, the health pass will become mandatory for children over 12 as of 30 September to access venues such as sports clubs, gyms, and public pools. The pass has already been mandatory for adults in all public places (cinemas, gyms, museums, restaurants) since 21 July.
Vaccines for teenagers
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) gave the green light for the vaccination of 12 to 17 year-olds with MNRA vaccines developed by Pfizer in June, followed by Moderna in July.
Despite the rollout, European regulators have cautioned that both products appear linked to extremely rare cases of chest pain and heart inflammation in young adults and are continuing to monitor any side effects.
The question of giving children the jab has been one of the key points of contention among anti-health pass protesters, who have joined the weekly demonstrations in Paris and elsewhere brandishing slogans “hands off my children”.
Impact of Delta
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According to fresh data published by American health authorities, the Delta variant of Covid does not lead to more serious cases of illness in children and teenagers.
Salomon said that orders had been placed and more Pfizer doses were to be delivered to pharmacies and doctors’ surgeries in the coming days.
He also said that a combination of two brands of vaccines could be used.
“We can combine vaccines, there’s no difference. Someone who has had Pfizer can then have Moderna,” he stated.
“The more we are vaccinated, the fewer worries we’ll have. There are around 57 million French people eligible for vaccination, and we’re getting close to 50 million (vaccinated). So that leaves a few million people we still need to convince.”
