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The question of vaccinating children under 12 is being raised, in particular, because of the spread of coronavirus variants. “We are monitoring the spread of the Delta variant and the substantial threat it poses to children,” Albert Bourla stated.
During August, American health professionals warned of a rise in hospitalizations due to the Delta variant in children. However, data released in early September by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that while hospitalizations among children and adolescents had increased fivefold between late June and mid-August, the proportion of young people hospitalized for severe illness remained unchanged during the period when the Delta variant was predominant. The CDC also highlighted the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine in young people, noting that hospitalization rates were 10 times higher among unvaccinated children and adolescents than among those who had completed the full vaccination schedule. Nevertheless, vaccination of children under 12 is not yet underway in the United States. What about France? The President of the Republic addressed the issue at the beginning of September. “Some countries have opened it up to children under 12, but we are following the advice of those who know best and for the moment we are continuing with those over 12. And then there are people who are worried, we have to listen to all of that (…) As soon as the scientists tell us: ‘We are opening it up to younger children’, we will do it,” Emmanuel Macron had stated.
