Covid-19 in France: how to protect babies, children, pregnant or breastfeeding women?

The Covid-19 coronavirus epidemic has settled in Europe for more than a year. What are the modes of contamination? How to protect yourself from the coronavirus? What are the risks and precautions for babies, children, pregnant and breastfeeding women? We take stock.

In short

Symptoms, contamination, incubation time … Over the past year, scientific knowledge about Covid-19 has evolved a lot. Masks, tests, barrier gestures remain essential to protect yourself from the virus.
Women would be better protected than men after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The results of an Inserm study suggest that the level of antibodies developed by women is indeed more stable than that of men. Data to be confirmed, but important for the anti-Covid-19 vaccine strategy.
The vaccination campaign has started. Three vaccines are currently available in France: Pfizer & BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Moderna. A fourth vaccine, Johnson & Johnson, is expected to arrive soon. Since 12th April, people over 55 without comorbidities can be vaccinated.
After three weeks of class closure, back to school will take place as planned on April 26, with a reinforced health protocol.

Find all our Covid-19 articles

Covid-19, pregnancy and breastfeeding: all you need to know
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Covid-19 baby and child: what to know, symptoms, tests, vaccines
What are the symptoms of Covid-19 in adolescents, children and babies? Are children very contagious? Do they transmit the coronavirus to adults? PCR, saliva: which test to diagnose Sars-CoV-2 infection in the youngest? We take stock of the knowledge to date on Covid-19 in adolescents, children and babies.
Covid-19 and schools: health protocol in force, saliva tests
For more than a year, the Covid-19 epidemic has disrupted our lives and those of our children. What are the consequences for the reception of the youngest in the crèche or with the nursery assistant? What school protocol is applied at school? How to protect children? Find all our info.
Covid-19: Should pregnant women be vaccinated?
Should we recommend vaccination against Covid-19 to pregnant women? Are they all affected by the current vaccination campaign? Is pregnancy a risk factor? Is the vaccine safe for the fetus? In a press release, the National Academy of Medicine delivers its recommendations. We take stock.

COVID-19: immunity after infection would last longer in women

Researchers from Inserm have described the evolution of the immune response in the months following infection with SARS-CoV-2. Their results suggest that the level of antibodies developed by women is more stable than that of their male counterparts. These data are to be confirmed but are important for the future evaluation of the anti-COVID vaccine response.

Women would be better protected than men after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The results of an Inserm study suggest that the level of antibodies developed by women is indeed more stable than that of men. Data to be confirmed, but important for the anti-Covid-19 vaccine strategy.

The course of the antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 in infected individuals remains poorly characterized. However, better understand the how antibodies work against this coronavirus is essential to know how long the immune protection lasts after an infection, and by extension to assess the duration of the anti-Covid-19 vaccine protection. The first studies showed that the antibody level rises rapidly in the first two to three weeks, then gradually decreases. But the question is far from fully elucidated, as other studies suggest that the magnitude of this response depends on the severity of the disease.

However, these studies also seem to describe variable cases: some people maintain high antibody concentrations over several months, while others see these rates drop rapidly. Inserm * researchers based in Strasbourg have been studying this question since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last spring, she formed three cohorts of several hundred hospital professionals from the Grand-Est region, one of the most severely affected by the new coronavirus. In a recent analysis, she looked at the 6-month follow-up of one of these groups, made up of 308 people who presented a mild form of COVID-19.

A lower but more persistent antibody level for women

It is in this context that the researchers observed that women had immune protection more efficient than that of men. “At different follow-up times after infection, we assayed the immunoglobulins (Ig), directed either against the surface protein S (IgM and IgG) or against the nucleocapsid N (IgG) of the virus. We found that anti-S antibodies were the most persistent, with 98% of participants having a detectable level within 3 to 6 months of infection. We have also observed that this rate gradually decreases over time, but with a different magnitude from one individual to another. Explains Samira Fafi-Kremer, who led the study.

It is by seeking to identify the demographic or clinical factors most often associated with these variations between former COVID-19 patients that scientists have noticed these gender differences. “Immediately after infection, the level of anti-Covid-19 antibodies is on average lower in women. But over time, it follows a decline that is generally less pronounced in women than men, regardless of their age or weight. », Adds the researcher. The scientific team then schematically differentiated in the cohort a group of patients with relatively stable antibodies over time, and a group in which they gradually became scarce.

An explanation that is both hormonal and genetic

The results showed that the first group rather consisted of women, and men for the second. This observation is in line with other studies conducted elsewhere, in particular among women and men with more severe forms of Covid-19. For researchers, this is hardly surprising. “We know, for example, that women generally have a humoral and cellular response more robust than men, whether in the face of other infectious diseases or in response to vaccination. The deleterious side of this broader reactivity is that women are more often prone to autoimmune diseases. », Recalls Samira Fafi-Kremer.

Behind this immune peculiarity, several mechanisms could be involved, both hormonal, environmental (in particular via epigenetics) and genetic. “A large part of the genes for immunity are located on the X sex chromosome, present in two copies in women (XX), against only one in men (XY). The expression of genes present on this second chromosome is mostly repressed, but between 15 and 30% of these genes can escape this inactivation. »Continues the researcher. But although promising, these first results, established after a 6 month follow-up after infection, must be confirmed by follow-up of the longer-term cohort.

The latter could be used in particular to determine the incidence rate of re-infections. “This will allow us to assess the extent to which the response to a first infection allows you to be protected or not and to understand the protection offered by vaccination. In addition, we are currently measuring the maintenance of the lymphocyte response in the same group of patients at different follow-up times, to assess how memory immunity persists. », Concludes Samira Fafi-Kremer. In the meantime, these first data are not lacking in interest because they could suggest a different vaccine response. in men and women, or even gender-specific vaccination schedules.

Covid-19: finally the blood group would have no impact, according to a study

Group O less at risk of severe form, group A more at risk … In reality, the blood group would have nothing to do with the risk of contracting a severe form of Covid-19, say researchers in yet another study on the topic. We take stock.

From the start of the pandemic, several studies had highlighted a possible protection of the O blood group against severe forms of infection by the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus. Subsequently, other studies have highlighted an increased risk of serious form for people in group A. All suggested that these effects would be linked to the presence or absence of certain antigens, these molecules present on the surface. certain cells, including white blood cells and certain respiratory cells.

A new study, however, turns all these assumptions upside down. Published on April 5, 2021 in the “JAMA Network Open”, This study concludes thatin view of current data, there is no specific association between blood group and risk of severe form of Covid-19.

The study was conducted using data from 107 people in the Intermountain Healthcare health network, shared by three American states. This nonprofit health care system includes 796 hospitals and 24 clinics in Utah, Nevada and Idaho. Of the study participants, nearly 215 tested positive for the coronavirus. By cross-checking the data between severe forms and patients’ blood group, the verdict is in: blood type obviously played no significant role in the risk of contracting a severe form.

« I always said that whole blood type thing was a lot of ado about nothing Dr. Aaron Glatt, chairman of the department of medicine and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, New York, United States, said in a statement. ” If you examine enough things, you will find random chance finds that may or may not have any meaning. “, Underlined the epidemiologist. In short, correlation is not causation, so caution remains in order. “It has never been meaningful enough to terrify people based on whether they have one type of blood group, or reassure them if they have another blood type,” added Dr. Glatt.

Other studies might just as well have found a link between eye or hair color and the risk of severe form, without there being anything scientifically substantiated behind this link.

However, some studies on the influence of blood group on the spread of Sars-CoV-2 in the body are based more on biomolecular interactions, and not only on epidemiological data. Other work will therefore have to come to clarify all this.

Stress from the Covid epidemic takes its toll on teeth

After a year of living with the Covid-19 epidemic and three confinements, our teeth are not spared. A study by the American Dental Association shows the different repercussions of Covid-19 on our jaws.

Since March 2020, theCovid-19 epidemic changed our lives. Confinement, teleworking, social distancing, ban on assembling for more than six people, cultural life at a standstill, etc.

All these changes generate stress, a stress which also has repercussions on the teeth.

What are the increasing dental pathologies?

The American study shows an increase in 63% of cases of chipped and cracked teeth compared to the previous year, and 71% of pathologies linked to tightening of the jaw. And if this is true in the United States, it is the same in France.

Patrick Solera, president of the Federation of liberal dental unions, questioned by our colleagues from La Dépêche, notes: “With successive confinements, patients are more stressed. Fractures, bruxism phenomena, temporomandibular joint pathologies are more important reasons for consultations than before. “

It is therefore to be hoped that with vaccination, France and other countries will be able to stop this virus in order to be able to return to normal life as quickly as possible.

Covid-19: on their tax return, employees will be able to deduct part of the costs related to teleworking in 2020

The teleworking that has developed due to the Covid-19 pandemic may have generated costs for employees. This month, the Ministry of the Economy announced the implementation of specific measures for the 2021 tax declaration. Discover them.

Despite the withholding, it is always necessary to declare income. The reporting campaign of income should start around mid-April. Departments numbered 1 to 19 should report their income no later than May 20, then the campaign will end in early June with departments numbered 55 to 976.

Telecommuting and additional costs

The development of teleworking may have resulted in some employees, who are poorly or poorly equipped, additional costs such as the purchase of a desk, a chair to work, etc. and be subject to compensation, lump sum reimbursements or reimbursements of actual costs by the employer.

These allowances must be identified by the employer in the information he sends to the tax authorities. These allowances should not be part of the amount of taxable income.

Up to 550 euros for the year

For professional expenses incurred in 2020, the Ministry of the Economy specifies: “The allowances paid by the employer under the telework from home in 2020 will tax exempt on income, within the limit of € 550 for the year. These allowances can take the form of allowances, lump-sum reimbursements or reimbursements of actual costs. “For employees who have opted for the deduction of” real costs “, the Ministry of the Economy adds:” The costs incurred for the needs of their professional activity, when it was carried out in the form of teleworking at home, may be deducted up to the amounts mentioned above (i.e. up to 550 euros per year). The taxpayer then retains the possibility of deducting them for their exact amount if this is more favorable.

Covid-19: will children and adolescents be vaccinated?

At the start of April 2021, more than 10 million French people have been vaccinated with at least one dose. Children are not yet in France. The first clinical results are expected in June.

Beginning of April 2021, 10 million French adults have been vaccinated against Covid-19, out of around 52 million. The government assures that every French person who wishes to be vaccinated will be able to do so by the end of the summer.

Awaiting clinical trial results

As to children and, for the moment, they are not part of the population to be vaccinated. For several reasons. First of all, to date there is no clinical trial results concerning them.

In Great Britain, the Pfizer and AstraZeneca laboratories have launched clinical trials on volunteer children between the ages of six and seventeen. The first results from the AstraZeneca laboratory should arrive next June, and more generally by the end of the summer.

Then, children can be vaccinated with the same vaccine as that given to adults. Only difference: the injected dose would be smaller.

In Israel, children at risk already vaccinated

In Israel, approximately 600 young people under 16 have already been vaccinated against Covid-19, even before the results of clinical studies.

These are children suffering fromobesity, diabetes, lung and heart disease, immunity disorders… To date, they have had no adverse effects.

As for France, it will already have to manage to vaccinate its entire adult population. And according to Professor Yves Gillet, interviewed by our colleagues from France Info: “We can imagine that if all adults were vaccinated, there could be a little bit of Covid left, only in children. Despite everything, it remains quite unlikely. I think we should rather focus on children with risk factors. “

COVID-19 and risk of infection: a study by the Institut Pasteur examines the role played by children

The Institut Pasteur’s ComCor study carried out since October 2020 makes it possible to describe the places and circumstances of contamination for COVID-19. In the latest updated results, the researchers say parents with children attending college or high school are more at risk than those with very young children. But no risk is not to be ruled out due to the type of custody and the arrival of the variants on the territory.

Where do the French get infected? This is the question that the ComCor study by the Institut Pasteur wishes to answer, with regard to the COVID-19 epidemic on the territory. The objective of this study is to identify the socio-demographic factors, places frequented and behaviors associated with an increased risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2. After initial results unveiled in December, new interim data have been published by the organization, in partnership with Assurance Maladie, the Ipsos Institute and Public Health France. The study covers the period from October 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021 and includes 77 participants with acute infection, excluding nursing staff.

The results obtained show in the first place that 45% of those infected know the source person who infected them: 18% suspect a particular event without knowing the source of the infection, and 37% do not know how they got infected. When the source person is known, it is above all a source within the home itself (42%), then an extra-domiciliary source. This is then the responsibility of the extended family (21%), a professional source (15%), friends (11%) or other (11%). Private meetings, with extended family and friends, and work in shared offices, are the best identified circumstances of transmission of the virus.

Having a child in school can put you at risk of infection

“Meals, both in private and professional settings, are the most frequently reported circumstances at the origin of these transmissions. », Specify the researchers. The latter also note “that the excess risk associated with private meetings decreases between October and January, undoubtedly testifying to better risk management by the participants during these meetings. The latter are also worried about the fact that “still too often”, with regard to cases in which transmission has taken place outside the home, the person source of infection was symptomatic at the time of infectious contact. This is particularly the case in the workplace.

The scientific team also wanted to know whether schooling represented a risk factor for contamination. The data on this subject are mixed, since within the household, have a child in school represents an increased risk of infection for adults, especially those looked after by a childminder (+ 39%), who go to college (+ 27%) and high school (+ 29%). With one exception, however: having a child in primary school has not so far been associated with an increased risk of infection for adults living in the same household. However, researchers have noted since January an increase in intra-domiciliary infections in adults due to children under 11 years old.

Why the English variant could be a game-changer

“As far as schools are concerned, having a child who goes to college or high school represents the greatest excess risk for adults. With regard to the youngest, the excess risk for adults seems greater if the children are looked after by a childminder, compared to those who go to a nursery. “, Summarize the researchers. They nevertheless specify that all these results could be called into question depending on the progression of the English, South African and Brazilian variants on the territory. The English variant is about 50% more transmissible than the traditional virus and in addition to its greater contagiousness, the duration of virus excretion in infected persons may be longer.

“Our European colleagues report epidemics in nurseries, kindergartens and schools which had not been reported until now, without it being possible to know if it is a question of better surveillance in schools, of visible traffic because these places are often the last to remain open in cases of active circulation of the virus in the community, or of a particular tropism of the virus for children. »Say the researchers. According to their conclusions, it is possible, if the minimum infecting dose is lower with the increased contagiousness of the English variant, that modes of transmission previously ineffective in children became so with the arrival of these more contagious variants.

Alexandra Bresson

COVID-19: the epidemic will lead to the marriage of 10 million children, warns Unicef

Due to the current pandemic and the changes brought about, Unicef estimates in a report that 10 million more girls are at risk of being forcibly married during their childhood. While 25 million child marriages have been averted over the past decade, the organization warns that the gains made are in serious jeopardy.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only had as consequences the closure of millions of schools across the world, and has been for almost a whole year because of the lockdowns. Indeed, a new report published by Unicef shows that ten million more child marriages are at risk of being concluded by the end of the decade, threatening to wipe out years of progress in reducing this practice. . This report warns that, in addition to school closures, economic constraints, disruption of services, deaths during pregnancy and parental deaths from the pandemic are increasing. the risks of marriage for girls the most vulnerable.

Even before the COVID-19 epidemic, the organization recalls that 100 million girls were already at risk to be married during their childhood over the next decade, despite the considerable decline in this practice in several countries in recent years: over the past 10 years, the proportion of young women in the world married during their childhood has fallen by 15%, from nearly one in every four women to one in five women. If some 25 million marriages have been avoided in this way, the report deplores that this progress is now compromised, knowing that child marriage has immediate and permanent consequences for the girls who are victims of it.

Economic shock, interruption of services … the risk of forced marriage increases in various ways

“COVID-19 has made an already difficult situation worse for millions of girls. The closure of schools, the absence of friends and support networks and increasing poverty rekindled a fire the world was already struggling to put out. Says Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF. “If we don’t act now, these girls risk losing their education, their health and their future. Girls who are forcibly married are more likely to be victims of domestic violence and are less likely to stay in school. Forced marriage also increases the risk of early and unplanned pregnancy, and therefore complications and mortality in the mother.

In addition, “this practice can further cut girls off from their families and friends and prevent them from participating in the life of their community, a situation which has serious consequences for women. their mental health and well-being. », Adds Unicef. For young girls, the pandemic has profoundly affected their lives due to travel restrictions and social distancing, which complicate their access to health care and social services. But also to the support of the community which protects them from child marriage, unwanted pregnancies and gender-based violence. And while schools remain closed, they are more likely not to return.

Finally, job losses and economic insecurity can force families to marry their daughters in order to ease their financial burden. Unicef estimates that 650 million girls and women alive around the world were married as children, nearly half of them in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India and Nigeria. “By reopening schools, putting in place effective laws and policies, ensuring access to health and social services, including sexual and reproductive health, and providing comprehensive social protection measures for families, we can significantly reduce the risk of girls having their childhood stolen through child marriage. », conclut Henrietta Fore.

Surgical masks are washable and reusable, according to UFC-Que Choisir

A study by UFC-Que Choisir shows that surgical masks, known as “disposable”, can in fact be washed, while retaining their protective powers. They would indeed retain their filtration performance and breathability after several machine washes.

Experience has shown that after 10 washes followed by tumble drying and ironing at the lowest setting of the iron, their filtration capacities were maintained at a level sufficient for general public use: from 90 to 100% depending on the surgical masks. On the breathability side, the second evaluation criterion, the masks remain breathable enough to be worn for several hours without too much discomfort.

Sheet masks: no need to wash them at 60 ° C, estimates the Academy of Medicine

In a press release published on September 7, the Academy of Medicine reviews the use of masks, and in particular the washing of fabric masks, in the fight against the covid-19 epidemic.

In its press release of September 7, the Academy of Medicine relaxed the protocol regarding the maintenance of fabric masks. She explains that washing at 60 ° C minimum is no longer appropriate. Fabric masks “ can be washed by hand or machine, with detergent, such as underwear, the temperature of 60 ° C is no more justified for washing masks than for washing hands“, writes the Academy of Medicine. No need to wash your hands at 60 ° C to remove traces of coronavirus. Washing with soap and water is sufficient.

In addition, the Academy of Medicine specifies that the fabric masks “should be changed when they get wet and never worn for more than a day”. They are reusable after each washing and drying cycle, as long as the mesh of the fabric and the integrity of the straps are not altered.

For economic and ecological reasons, it recommends the use of washable fabric masks in public spaces. Disposable masks, on the other hand, should be reserved for care activities and for people who are sick or placed in isolation.

Stressing that “current epidemiological indicators [suggest] a prolonged epidemic situation”, The Academy believes that“becomes necessary to integrate the wearing of the mask in daily gestures by making it understandable, acceptable and routine”. Although fabric masks perform less well than surgical masks in terms of filtration and sealing, they guarantee “better qualities of comfort and” breathability “. Wearing a mask also represents “an altruistic gesture” which makes each citizen supportive of the fight against the pandemic.

Source: press release

Social distancing: necessary until 2022

Harvard researchers have carried out a study whose results have just appeared in the journal Science. For them, we will have to learn to living with periods of social distancing until 2022. According to the researchers, while waiting for a vaccine, it would be necessary to alternate periods of confinement, where again schools, businesses, businesses would be closed, and of deconfinement. Thus, the population could gradually acquire collective immunity without running the risk of overwhelming hospitals with too many patients at the same time.

Coronavirus Covid-19: transmission and incubation time

This pathology is transmitted by air, via postilions (sneezing, coughing, etc.). It is currently considered that close and close contact with a sick person is necessary to transmit the virus: same place of life, contact within a meter during a coughing episode, a discussion or a sneeze in the absence of protective measures (wearing a mask for the patient).

Current estimates converge towards an average incubation period, that is, between the date of infection and the onset of symptoms, ranging up to fourteen days, but often around five days. The World Health Organization recommends that contacts of confirmed cases are isolated and followed for 14 days.

Symptoms and treatment of the Covid-19 coronavirus

Fever, cough and difficulty breathing are the main symptoms of the Covid-19 coronavirus. We also evoke the loss of taste (ageusia) and loss of smell (anosmia), although these symptoms are not specific to coronavirus infection. The first symptoms are in any case very similar to those of a big flu. But if the disease progresses, especially in the absence of rapid and adequate management, respiratory complications can occur and worsen over time, to the point of causing pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, renal failure, or even in rare cases, death.

To date, no specific treatment has been developed. While waiting for an adequate and effective treatment to be put in place, treatment of the Covid-19 coronavirus is symptomatic, and therefore consists of managing the symptoms.

Age and the existence of associated diseases worsen the Covid-19

Overall, severe cases of Covid-19 infection and deaths seem to take place more with age and the existence of pre-existing pathologies. Elderly and / or chronically ill people such as hypertension or diabetes seem more at risk of developing severe forms disease or even die from it. This does not exclude that young and healthy subjects may also be affected by the virus.

This does not prevent the WHO from recommending that everyone take precautions to avoid contracting and transmitting the virus.

In the columns ofBusiness Insider, specialists welcomed in mid-February this lower prevalence of cases in children, because they are less likely than adults to comply with the recommended hygiene measures (wearing a mask in particular). “If we can protect children – on the one hand it’s good for them, but on the other hand it’s good for the people”Aaron Milstone, epidemiologist and professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University, told Business Insider. “If it enters the pediatric population, it could amplify the epidemic”, Added the specialist.

“Pregnancy and Coronavirus”: the experts have answered all your questions. Find the Live!

Parents.fr devoted a Live to the questions you ask yourself about pregnancy, childbirth, your health and that of the baby, during this Covid-19 epidemic. A Live rich in information and advice. Find answers from replay experts.

In video: Live Parents “Pregnancy and Coronavirus”: “Can we breastfeed in the event of Covid-19?”

Coronavirus Covid-19: how to best protect yourself?

More than wearing a mask (which is especially essential in people with known infection, but of little benefit in others), the World Health Organization recommends observing “barrier” measures. These are also effective and recommended against most respiratory viruses, including influenza.

Here are the main ones:

wash your hands frequently and conscientiously, with soapy water or, failing that, with a hydroalcoholic solution;
cover your mouth and nose with the bend of your elbow or a disposable tissue when you cough or sneeze, then wash your hands;
avoid close contact as much as possible, especially with people returning from affected areas and / or showing symptoms (cough, sneezing, fever, etc.);
avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes with dirty hands, as these can carry the virus.

Note that the risk of being infected with the coronavirus by touching an object imported from China is considered extremely low. Standard hygiene measures (hand washing, surface cleaning) are considered effective. Finally, travel to so-called risk areas is not recommended, unless there is an imperative reason. Since the confinement, it is in any case impossible to leave our borders.

Coronavirus: precautions when shopping

Confinement requires, leaving the home is rare. Here are the main measures to follow to avoid being contaminated by the coronavirus, when you have to go to get supplies.

At the store, only touch the bare minimum, to limit the risks. That is, only the products that you are actually going to buy. So take the precaution ofbring your own bags and basket, to avoid having to touch those who are present in the supermarket. To pay, use the contactless bank card. If this is not possible, wash your hands immediately with hydro-alcoholic gel.
Do not touch your face during the races, the virus being able to pass into the body through the mucous membranes: the mouth, the nose, the eyes. And when you get home, wash your hands very thoroughly.
When you get home, drop off your groceries in the hall, and don’t put them away until several hours later. Indeed, the virus can survive for several hours if it is present on cardboard or plastic packaging. Wash your hands between each operation.
Wash fruits and vegetables with water before consuming them. But no bleach!

If you think you are showing symptoms, the following steps are taken:

Monitor his temperature twice a day using a thermometer;
Monitor the appearance of symptoms of respiratory infection (cough, difficulty in breathing, etc.);
Avoid contact with fragile people (pregnant women, chronically ill, elderly people, etc.);
Avoid going to places where there are vulnerable people (hospitals, maternity hospitals, accommodation facilities for the elderly, etc.);
Avoid any non-essential outing (large gatherings, restaurants, cinema, etc.).
If you are sick, or if you think you have symptoms, do not go to the Emergency Room or to your doctor, but call 15.

Protective masks are now only available in pharmacies on medical prescription. As for hydro-alcoholic gels, a decree published in the Official Journal strictly regulates their selling price.

Coronavirus: how to tell children about it?

For Florence Millot, psychologist for children and adolescents in Paris, the answer is not uniform. It all depends on the age of the child, and how he experiences the event. Before the age of 7, the child may not be very affected by the fear of the coronavirus. He is still very “self-centered”, explains the shrink. ” We are not in a direct event such as an attack where ‘bad guys’ could come and attack them”, Explains the psychologist. One can explain to him, for example, that one must isolate oneself to “block” the transmission of the virus, because the disease is very contagious, and that it is for this reason that his school is closed, advises Florence Milot. And assure him that the vast majority of people suffering from the disease are cured.

With a bigger child, 8 to 15 years old, the behavior to be taken will be different. “When they have access on their own to information, social networks, false images, then children can have fears, because of this notion of invasion.”, Warns the psychologist. It will therefore be necessary to help the child to sort through the mass of information received. He is reminded of the need to be extra vigilant with regard to hygiene (frequent hand washing, use of disposable handkerchiefs, etc.).

In an interview collected on France Inter, the psychiatrist Serge Hefez insists on the need to tell children about the coronavirus, to avoid the anxiety-provoking effect of ‘fake news’ and other alarmist information. He gives his advice: “We can very well explain to children that it is like the flu, that we catch viruses, that there are people who are sick. It should be explained that some will be a little sick, others more seriously. To say that few of them will die. Children can hear it, but on the other hand, what is experienced as dangerous it is the risk of contagion, that is, the other becomes dangerous. Children must be taught to protect themselves from the virus, and not from others. This is where the social bond is in danger. We must reassure children, continue to maintain links with others and show that the world continues to turn. ”

Sources and additional information:

https://github.com/cmrivers/ncov/blob/master/COVID-19.pdf
https://www.who.int/fr/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
https://www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus
https://www.who.int/fr/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-coronaviruses
https://www.unicef.org/fr/coronavirus-ce-que-les-parents-doivent-savoir

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