Why is the vaccination of children starting so timidly in France?

First open in mid-December to children aged 5-11 who are likely to develop severe forms of Covid-19, the vaccination was extended a few days later to all children of this age group. But almost a month later, the observation is that of a sluggish start for the vaccination of children in France. And while health authorities are hoping for an acceleration, some are wondering if the timing is really right.

1. Children cannot be vaccinated everywhere

Currently, vaccination of children is only possible in 505 centers. Admittedly this is more than the 350 the first week of January and the 100 opened in December, according to the ministry, which hopes to increase these numbers. This campaign can also be carried out by town doctors and pharmacists. “Pediatricians can vaccinate, but that involves some logistics,” says Fabienne Kochert, who practices in Orléans.

“You have to request doses from your pharmacist and we are limited to one vial per week, which represents one injection for ten children. I placed an order at the end of December, I will only have access to it on January 15, ”she adds.

2. Making an appointment more complex than expected

Another obstacle: for some parents, making an appointment turned out to be more complex than expected. In Loire-Atlantique, Caroline, freelance in journalism and communication, succeeded on Saturday in having her two children, aged 7 and 10, vaccinated, not without difficulty. “On online dating sites, we could not find a niche for a month.”

It was following a tweet from her spouse that the couple were referred to a general practitioner able to vaccinate with pediatric doses.

“We do not deny the fact that (the number of appointments available) is not sufficient”, concedes the ministry, indicating that it amounted to “5,800 this week, 27,000 by January 30 and 50,000 at the end of February ”. “We mobilize the players to further increase these figures,” adds the same source.

3. Parents for many unfavorable

There is also a third obstacle to immunizing children. This time on the demand side. According to a survey commissioned in particular by Inserm, two-thirds of parents (67%) of children aged 5 to 11 are against their vaccination.

Conducted by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Health Observatory, the survey was carried out before Christmas, that is to say before the High Authority for Health (HAS) recommends it.

On Friday, Professor Alain Fischer, who coordinates the State’s vaccine strategy against Covid-19 in France, conceded that to accelerate the vaccination of the youngest, it would be necessary to “do education”. He also regretted that following a request from the Council of State, the agreement of both parents, and no longer just one, is now necessary, seeing it as “an obstacle”.

Pediatric learned societies have spoken out in favor of rapid vaccination of all children with chronic diseases that expose them to a risk of severe form of Covid. But the vaccination booster campaign for adults remains the priority and the vaccination of children should not slow it down, they said.