Has Covid-19 become a disease for children? At the moment, very few are affected by severe forms of the virus: Less than 1% of hospitalizations. But with the delta variant, children are increasingly infected.
The delta variant is not more dangerous for children, but because it is much more contagious, there are many sick children. In the vast majority of cases they have mild forms, but more and more are found in hospitals. The United States saw this first. In Nice, babies were recently hospitalized without serious And In its models, the Pasteur Institute expects up to 50,000 positive cases per day in children in the fall. So we’ll know pretty quickly if back to school could favor this scenario.
The first test takes place this week at the start of the school year on Reunion Island where the incidence of the delta variant is high. In Israel or the United States, the question of a vaccine for all children is clearly raised. In France, too, but not immediately. Pfizer and Moderna are currently conducting clinical studies in children aged 5 to 12 years. The results will not be known until the end of the year. Will a smaller dose be needed? There are no answers to the questions yet, and if the campaign is to start, It won’t be until early next year.
Vaccine to prevent transmission of the virus by children
According to Alan Fisher, professor of immunology, today it is clear that there are “more childhood infections” with Covid-19 with an increase in emergency room visits. For the professor, one should not have “great concern”, since the vast majority of these infections are benign. However, children can get sick and transmit the virus in particular. So the debate about vaccinating children under 12 is gaining more attention. The professor explains that “it is not possible to start such a vaccination” as long as Studies will not yield results on efficacy and safety Vaccine in children.