France has started administering COVID-19 vaccines to children, as part of its drive to expand the number of people who are protected against the disease. From June 15, those aged between 12 and 17 have been able to get the shot, but under strict conditions.
Vaccinations can only be given with the child's consent, their parents' oral and written consent, and if the jab takes place in the presence of the child's parents. Previously, the youngest age you could be in France to be eligible for a vaccine was 18, or 16 if the person had underlying conditions, or was in contact with a person vulnerable to the virus.
French Health Minister Olivier Veran speaks with young people as he visits a COVID-19 vaccination center in Paris, on June 15, the day France starts vaccinating teenagers from age 12 with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. /Come Sittler/POOL/AFP
France has overcome the problems it suffered with a sluggish rollout of vaccines at the start of the year to become one of the first countries to offer jabs to children. The health minister visited one vaccination center where shots are being given to adolescents.
"We saw some teenagers who want to be vaccinated with the understanding that they would like their college or their high school not to close next year," said Olivier Veran. "They also want to be able to go on holiday more freely, and several spoke spontaneously about collective immunity."
All youngsters receive a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which was approved by Europe's drugs regulator last month for use in 12 to 15-year-olds. The French government wants to continue to drive uptake of the vaccine across the population to try to mirror its unlocking strategy and also combat new clusters of the Delta variant.
"Currently, in France, 2 to 4 percent of the tests that we screen correspond to the Indian [Delta] variant," said Veran. "I am telling you this obviously to urge you not to relax your collective vigilance."
As France progressively expands its vaccination campaign it is also progressively lifting the remaining restrictions in place. The national 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew is due to be removed entirely on June 30, when capacity limits on indoor dining areas in restaurants will also be discontinued.
Cover image: Come Sittler/POOL/AFP