Under the pressure of the increase in infections throughout Europe, the focus is tightening on the little ones. A growth trend in that part of the population was in things but with alarm situations in some countries such as France, where the incidence rate in children between 6 and 10 years has literally exploded, reaching 340 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, against the national average for adults of 191. The same (albeit to a much lesser extent) is registered with us and that is why the European Medicines Agency (EMA) ruling on anti-Covid vaccination is expected between 5 and 11 years . A judgment is expected by the hour, which will be closely followed by the ruling of the Italian Medicines Agency (Aifa) and vaccinations will be able to start after the delivery of pediatric doses, reduced compared to those of adults, by the Pfizer company in the third decade of December.
The race of the USA and Israel
Some governments have expanded their vaccination programs to include children and young people. In Israel, the campaign for children aged 5 to 11 began on Tuesday 23, as decided by the authorities, as indicated by the National Committee for the fight against Covid. A recommendation for COVID-19 vaccines was decided on November 2 for American children between the ages of 5 and 11, and by mid-month, nearly 10 percent of those eligible had received the first dose, according to the White House. The list of other countries in the world where vaccination has been allowed for some time includes, among others, China, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile,
Communication campaign soon
To take stock of the next steps was the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza who invited families to trust doctors and pediatricians. “The first step – explained Speranza in a press conference after the Council of Ministers which gave the green light to the decree on the Super green pass – is Ema’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children in the reduced dose”. Then the Italian Medicines Agency (Aifa) will decide with an opinion aligned with Ema and therefore Pfizer’s delivery of the pediatric doses, and this in the third decade of December. “In the meantime we will carry out a communication campaign and the indication we will give will be to listen to pediatricians and doctors”.
Green pass or obligation excluded
For the little ones, it was in any case specified, there is neither the Green pass nor the obligation. The issue of the vaccination obligation for children, however, remains open and the Aifa president, Giorgio Palù, notes that “when we talk about the anti-Covid vaccination obligation for children, the risk-benefit ratio must be weighed and I would consider it carefully, as the obligation of vaccination for other categories. So if the obligation must be generalized it is a careful risk-benefit assessment but this is in keeping with the trend of the epidemic. It is an assessment that will be made progressively “, he said, recalling that” the risk of infection is becoming much higher than the risk of the vaccine “.
The vaccinations currently planned
As established by the decree law of 7 June 2017, ten compulsory vaccinations are already foreseen in Italy for the 0-16 year old age group. The invitation is therefore also to vaccinate under-12s because, undersecretary Sileri warned, “if they get sick there is a risk that they will have serious complications. And we must talk about the Long Covid, because afterwards there can be disturbances that last a long time, because the virus attacks several organs “. In fact, these disorders are detected in approximately 10-20% of pediatric cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. In the same vein, the Italian Society of Pediatrics, which has repeatedly reiterated the opportunity and benefits of anti-Covid vaccination also for the 5-11 year old age group.