Green light to the vaccination booster for children aged 5 to 11 years
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Awaited for weeks, the green light for the recall of the vaccination against Sars-CoV-2 for children aged between 5 and 11 arrived on Friday through the circular signed by the Director General of Prevention, Gianni Rezza (LINK TO PDF , IF POSSIBLE). Confirmed predictions: the recommendation only concerns children “who present conditions of fragility such as to expose them to the development of more severe forms of Sars-CoV-2 infection”. Prophylaxis will still be accessible to all families who request it. The novelty lies instead in the approval of the bivalent vaccine. Taking into account the indications of the European Agency (Ema) and the Italian drug agency (Aifa), having not yet expressed itself on the monovalent vaccine, the Ministry of Health proceeded directly with the approval of the BA.4-5 formulation. A choice approved by the scientific community, which thus makes it possible to make the most up-to-date drug available to children.
Children aged 5 to 11 were vaccinated for the first time between December 2020 and January last year. Reason why they were considered largely discovered, almost a year after immunization. Hence the need to evaluate – as has already been done for the higher age groups – the recall. A procedure authorized in two different moments by the European Medicines Agency: first with standard mRna vaccines (in September) and then with bivalent versions (in November). It was implemented yesterday in our country, after a long process that served to define the strategy of the Ministry of Health. Compared to the possibility of recommending vaccination to all children, in the end the explicit indication aimed only at the frail prevailed. Exactly as happened a few weeks ago with the green light for prophylaxis for children between 6 months and 4 years. However, an ok regarding the original vaccine, waiting for Europe to evaluate the possibility of offering the bivalent also to this segment of the population: as already done by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States.
Covid, still no decision in Italy on recalls for children between 5 and 11
by Fabio DiTodaro
To whom is the ministry’s recommendation addressed?
Only those children who have completed the primary cycle (with the monovalent drug) can receive the bivalent formulation of the anti-Covid-19 vaccine. The circular reiterates that “at least three months must have elapsed between the administration of the last previous dose of a vaccine and that of the bivalent”. No explicit reference for those who have had Covid-19, so the four-month interval from recovery recommended for the rest of the population will still apply. Below are the frail conditions for which vaccination is recommended: respiratory diseases (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or other diseases requiring oxygen therapy), cardiovascular diseases (heart failure), central nervous system diseases (infantile cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophy, dysimmune neurological diseases), endocrinopathies (type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes if treated with at least two drugs or with complications, panhypopituarism, Addison’s disease), liver diseases, cerebrovascular (ischemic-haemorrhagic event with impaired neurological and cognitive autonomy, stroke in the two-year period 2020-2022 or even earlier if with a ranking higher than 3), hemoglobinopathies (thalassemia major, severe chronic anemias), Down syndrome, severe obesity, cystic fibrosis and severe disability (of any type).
Covid, green light for the vaccine for the little ones: how much and why it is administered
by Elena Bozzola
Where to vaccinate children? The ball is in the hands of the Regions
The ministry’s circular has been released, now the individual Regions will have to communicate how the booster will be offered to children between 5 and 11 years old. Almost everyone had taken the first doses a year ago in the hubs. The administrations had taken place in many cases in ad hoc days or time slots aimed at families with children in this age group. There are two possibilities that could be evaluated in this phase of the pandemic: the use of hubs or vaccination by pediatricians of free choice. A choice, the latter, considered easier for families. But that requires an agreement between each Region and the specialists operating in its territory.
Also recover the over 2 million unvaccinated children
There are just over 1.2 million Italians between the ages of 5 and 11 who have undergone prophylaxis against Sars-CoV-2: approximately 36 percent of those entitled, quantified at almost 3.5 million. A figure that pediatricians still consider low: beyond the fact that the infection almost always evolves in a benign way among the little ones. “If an infection can be prevented, it is always worth doing”, is the message that filters through from the Italian Society of Pediatrics. “We expect a commitment in terms of communication and organization to promote the recovery of at least a part of this segment of the population”, says Rocco Russo, pediatrician of the mother-child operating unit of the Benevento local health authority and head of the company’s vaccination technical table Italian of Pediatrics. Without neglecting two other reasons why experts recommend vaccination: protection against the closest fragile people and the risks associated with Long-Covid, still under investigation.
Twitter @fabioditodaro
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