the benefit outweighs the risks, according to the French Pediatric Society

With the progression of the Delta variant, the vaccination of young people against Covid-19 is becoming essential. From August 30, adolescents from 12 to 17 years old will also be required to obtain a health pass. For its part, the French Pediatric Society has changed its position on the subject. If only children at risk or in contact with immunocompromised people were to be vaccinated initially, it now considers that the expected benefit outweighs the risks.

This evolution is linked to the explosion of the Delta variant. According to figures released Sunday by Public Health France, 12,532 cases were detected in 24 hours, the highest number for a Sunday since mid-May. The vast majority of these new cases are due to the highly contagious Delta variant. Logically, the test positivity rate is increasing: it is 2% (over seven days to D-3), against 1.6% the day before.

Pharmacovigilance data

But the position of the French Pediatric Society has evolved above all following the receipt of the first pharmacovigilance data from the United States. Nearly 52 million doses have been given to young Americans between the ages of 12 and 17. The only side effect identified: the appearance of myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle. A risk of the order of 1 per 20,000 vaccinated boys, and 1 per 100,000 girls. “These myocarditis are diseases which often lead to hospitalization but which did not have their own seriousness”, underlines Robert Cohen, president of the French Pediatric Society. “That is, all of the adolescents recovered quickly with no side consequences. These myocarditis only occur at the second dose.”

Thus, the learned society recommends to systematically pass a serological test to young adolescents, in order to administer only one dose to them if they have recently had Covid without symptoms. Vaccination remains the only key to a normal return to school, according to her.