“I have expressed some concerns about Covid vaccines for very young children and I still am not completely convinced that it is a qualifying target”. The virologist tells time.news Salute Francesco Menichetti, head of infectious diseases at the Pisa hospital, after the US drug regulatory agency Fda urged Pfizer to expand the audience for clinical studies on the efficacy of the mRna vaccine in the 5-11 year range for which the he company had already announced the first results for September followed by those for the 2-5 years and 6 months-2 years range by December.
“Now we will see the data, the registration studies will be important however – clarifies Menichetti – even more important than the registration studies will be to clarify what the vaccination policy will be. If we want to achieve herd immunity and at what level”. Because, explains the virologist, “we could already achieve important results if we secured the 5 million over-50s and children aged 12 and over, to reopen schools. In short – he reiterates – I would be a little cautious about the little ones”. The reason is always based on the risk / benefit ratio “which is usually lowered for children. That is – explains the doctor – even if the risk remains the same, it is more relevant with the decrease in age. If the epidemiology of Covid us confirms this trend, it is right that vaccination policy takes it into account “.
“I am not convinced that children are at risk or that they are the drivers of the infection. The drivers of the infection – says the head physician – are young unvaccinated adolescents and young adults, as we are seeing in recent weeks and months. It is true – he concludes – that an 11-year-old girl died yesterday, but it was a girl who had a very serious problem, therefore a fragile subject. I am referring to healthy children, the fragile follow another path “.