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France extends Covid vaccination to children aged 5-11
French Health Minister Olivier Veran has announced that the Covid vaccination campaign for children aged 5-11 is now open, proceeding with a plan announced last week to help protect youngsters from the threat of new variants.
The country’s National Authority for Health (HAS) backed opening up the country’s Covid vaccination scheme to young children on Monday, stating that it should be done “as soon as the pediatric formulation” of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine is ready.
In France, officials were already administering the Covid vaccine to children who are “at risk” of contracting a severe form of the virus but the decision from HAS extends vaccination to all children.
Rolling out the vaccine to young children, HAS admitted that the move had been made to reduce the threat posed by the fast-spreading Omicron variant. The agency was concerned there was a risk the strain could cause “an increase in the number of cases of severe forms of the disease in children.”
“Even if the impact of vaccinating children on the current wave would only be very limited, it could potentially reduce the impact of subsequent waves by reducing the circulation of the virus in the general population,” HAS stated.
While opening up Covid vaccines to children aged 5-11, HAS was clear that it should be done “without obligation and without this being a condition for obtaining a health pass.”
France introduced a health pass back in July, which now requires all over-12s to show they’ve been fully vaccinated, recently recovered from the virus or tested negative in the past 48 hours before entering hospitality businesses, cultural and leisure venues or traveling on public transport.
So far, France has administered a total of 113,712,660 doses of a Covid vaccine since its rollout began. While the jab is voluntary for most citizens, earlier this year the government ordered all healthcare workers to get vaccinated.
Beijing has announced that it will require people travelling to the city from low-risk areas of China to present a negative Covid-19 test, as part of a raft of measures introduced ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations. The restrictions will come into effect on January 28 and last until March 15, covering both the Lunar New Year festivities and the annual parliament meeting that occurs in the city. People who enter Beijing will have to undergo a 14-day health observation period, with a test taken on the seventh and 14th day after their arrival. The spokesperson for Beijing’s city government, Xu Hejian, announced the new measures on Wednesday, over fears that travel during the holiday period could see people spread the virus around the country, causing a spike in cases. In recent weeks, areas around Beijing have seen Covid-19 restrictions increased since the start of the year, as authorities took a ‘wartime mode’ approach to prevent a wider outbreak occurring in Shijiazhuang ...
The Italian government is reportedly set to announce an easing of Covid-19 restrictions in certain regions despite warnings from health experts that it is too soon to relax measures designed to control the spread of the virus. Veneto, near Venice, Calabria in the south, and Emilia-Romagna in the north of the country are all expected to be downgraded from 'orange' to 'yellow' zones, according to local reports. The move would allow bars and restaurants to reopen, as well giving residents more freedom to move around their areas. The World Health Organization, however, has warned that it is "too early to ease up," as there is "still [a] very high" presence of the virus in the country. A public health expert who advises the Italian health minister has echoed this note of caution, telling AFP that Italy was "bucking the trend," while other European nations remain in lockdown and some are even considering stricter measures. Also on rt.com ...
New Zealand has enacted a self-identification law that makes it easier to amend the sex recorded on birth certificates. It removes a requirement on applicants to provide evidence of having undergone sex-reassignment procedures. The country’s parliament on Thursday voted unanimously to pass the legislation, titled the ‘Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationship Registration Bill’. Once it comes into force, the new law will allow transgender, intersex, gender diverse, and takatapui (a Maori word for LGBT) people to declare their sex on the basis of how they identify. Although the provision to self-identify sex on birth certificates was introduced in 2018, applicants still had to prove they had undergone sex-reassignment surgery or other medical treatments to change their sex according to their gender identity. “Today is a proud day in Aotearoa’s history,” Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti said, referring to New Zealand’s Maori name. “Parliament has voted in favour of inclusivity ...
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