Vaccination kicks off for all adolescents 12 years of age and over.

Since Tuesday, June 15, these young French people can also be vaccinated under certain conditions: only in a center, with the authorization of both parents and the consent of the minor.

The main challenge is to obtain an increase in vaccination coverage to limit the circulation of the virus as much as possible.

This age group potentially represents more than 3.5 million people.

With one exception: adolescents who have developed pediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (PIMS) following infection with SARS-CoV-2, for whom vaccination is not recommended.

D-1 before the opening of the vaccination of adolescents from 12 to 18 years old.


Go to vaccination centers or ask a health professional for more information.


More info: https://t.co/RWQeIjMUvd pic.twitter.com/RN1lj2FBCi

- Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sports (@education_gouv) June 14, 2021

Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine only

Until now, young people aged 16 and 17 could be vaccinated in two cases: if they suffered from a very high-risk pathology of severe form of Covid-19 or if they were relatives of people immunocompromised.

The vaccination of adolescents will only be possible in a center with the PfizerBioNTech vaccine, the only one to date to have a marketing authorization for this age group.

Moderna, who made a request last week, is awaiting the European Union's response.

The vaccination of minors requires the authorization of the two holders of parental authority but the presence of only one will be required during the injection.

A parental authorization form, available online, must be completed and signed before the vaccination.

The administration of the vaccine will nonetheless be subject to the oral consent of the minor concerned.

The issue of collective immunity

Deaths from Covid-19 are exceptional among adolescents: the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC, has recorded 98 deaths out of 1.1 million cases among 10-19 year olds.

The risk of a severe form requiring hospitalization is also very low (0.9% according to the ECDC).

But if the benefit / risk ratio of being vaccinated remains less obvious for this age group than for the rest of the population, specialists highlight an indirect individual benefit: vaccinated, adolescents will be able to resume a more normal life more quickly. , they who have been severely affected by the successive restrictions (confinements, reduction of social interactions, closure of schools or distance education ...).

Back to normal

Vaccination of adolescents could contribute to the return to normal functioning of schools, colleges and high schools, and limit the risks for staff and fragile students.

Vaccinating 12-17 year olds will above all make it possible to immunize a larger part of the population and thus better fight against the circulation of the virus.

If their health is not at risk, adolescents are not immune to infection and can therefore participate in the transmission of the virus.

Their immunization therefore helps to curb the epidemic.

A well-known phenomenon in infectious diseases, herd immunity means that above a certain threshold of people vaccinated, viruses no longer meet enough people to infect, which prevents them from replicating and continuing to circulate .

With AFP 

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