After being given the green light from the European Medicines Agency, Moderna vaccine is now approved by the Haute Autorité de Santé in vaccinating teenagers aged 12 to 17 in France. The news has landed this Wednesday July 28, 2021. Teenagers can now choose between the two Messenger RNA vaccines: Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
Furthermore, teen vaccination rules are about to change because of the anti-covid bill currently studied by the Constitutional Council. The text approved by the joint committee states teens aged 16 to 17 will no longer need their parents' authorization to get vaccinated. As for the 12-15, the authorization from at least one of the parents is required. Although a new protocol is planned for school start, the health pass will not be compulsory to enter schools.
In May 2021, Moderna Therapeutics CEO Stéphane Bancel already explained to our peers from Journal du Dimanche “the ideal would be to protect them before late August. If we massively vaccinate, the risk of a fourth wave could be prevented”.
The vaccine is “highly effective” in people from this age group, up to 100%, like for the Pfizer vaccine. The study included over 3,700 volunteers between 12 and 17 years old, split into two groups: two thirds have been given the vaccine, and one third a placebo.
