I understand that it’s a big decision to have you or your child receive the COVID-19 vaccine. However, it is truly the most effective way to prevent us from getting coronavirus. As a pediatrician, I receive many questions from parents. Here are a few questions and some answers that I hope will help make this decision easier.
1. Are kids getting COVID-19? Do they really need the vaccine?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, as of December 2, more than 7 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. COVID cases among children are extremely high: over 133,000 child cases were added the past week (12/6/2021). For the seventeenth week in a row, child COVID-19 cases are above 100,000. Since the first week of September, there have been nearly 2 million additional child cases.
2. Why is it important for my kid to get the vaccine?
The best defense against COVID-19 and helping to reduce the pandemic is vaccination. Children can get very sick from COVID-19 and have short-term and long-term complications. Currently, COVID-19 ranks as one of the top ten causes of death for children five to eleven years old. After your child is fully vaccinated, they have less of a chance of getting COVID-19 and if they do get COVID-19, they have less of a chance of getting seriously ill. A COVID-19 vaccination will protect your children, your family, your friends, and your community.
3. Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe for kids five to eighteen? Why?
Although the widespread use of mRNA vaccines is new, these types of vaccines have been studied for decades. Tens of thousands of volunteers were in clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, over half of twelve to seventeen-year-olds in the US have been fully vaccinated. These vaccines have been shown to be incredibly safe and no serious safety concerns have been identified. These vaccines are being monitored very closely, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that COVID-19 vaccines will have “the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history.”
4. Since adults have experienced side effects, what can kids expect (besides pain at the injection site)?
Some children have no side effects, but more children have short-term effects after the second dose. Side effects that you can anticipate are fatigue, fever, headache, chills, joint pain, muscle pain and, of course, pain at the injection site. This results from the vaccine teaching our immune system how to recognize and fight COVID-19. Side effects typically resolve in about two days.
5. Is the recently approved vaccine for children the same or different from the version for adults? Will my child get the same dosage of the COVID-19 vaccine as an adult?
Children ages 5–11 will get an ageappropriate dose of COVID-19 vaccine. It has the same active ingredients as the adult dose. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages five to eleven is 10mg which is one third of the adult dose. The immunizations are still given twenty-one days apart.
6. Are there certain children who shouldn’t get the COVID-19 vaccine?
Children who should not get the COVID-19 vaccine are those who have a severe allergy to individual components of the vaccine or who had anaphylaxis to a prior dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
7. Should I be worried about longterm side effects?
There is no evidence of long-term effects of COVID-19 vaccination, and this type of vaccine has been studied for decades.
8. Can COVID-19 vaccines affect fertility or menstruation as my child gets older?
No, the COVID-19 vaccine does not affect future fertility of boys or girls. According to the CDC, there is no evidence that vaccine ingredients or antibodies developed following COVID-19 vaccination will cause any problems with becoming pregnant. Similarly, there is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine affects puberty.
9. Can the COVID-19 vaccine give you COVID?
No, you cannot get COVID-19 from the COVID-19 vaccine. There is no live virus in the vaccine, however, side effects explained above can be expected.
10. How can I prepare for my child for his/her vaccination visit?
Start by talking to your child about the COVID-19 vaccination and discuss what they can expect. Discuss with them reasons why receiving the COVID-19 vaccine is important and who they can help protect. Identify family members who already have the vaccine and discuss with your child. Do NOT give any pain medications before vaccination> Please only give after, if needed. After the vaccine, expect to wait for fifteen minutes prior to leaving.
11. How effective has the COVID-19 vaccine proven to be in kids during clinical trials?
In clinical trials, the COVID-19 vaccination was more than ninety percent effective in preventing COVID in children ages five to eleven years old. If vaccinated individuals do get COVID, they are less likely to be hospitalized or end up in the ICU.
12. Other vaccines are already required for schools. How is this vaccine similar or different?
Vaccines are our most effective way of reducing the risk of vaccine-preventable illness.
13. Do I have to wait to give my child the COVID-19 vaccine if they’ve had another vaccine?
The CDC advises that your child can get a flu vaccine and COVID-19 vaccine at the same time. You should talk to your child’s pediatrician if they are scheduled to get another vaccine around the time of their COVID-19 shot.
Dr. Danielle Renodin-Mead, DO, FAAP, is pediatrician and chief medical officer at Oak Orchard Health, a community health center with eleven locations offering pediatrics, medical, dental, behavioral health, and vision care.