Vaccine is our best bet to keep our children safe and we have already seen the success of so many childhood disease like measles and chickenpox from vaccines.
Questions: Should I have my 12 year old child vaccinated for COVID-19?
Answer: Yes. Once the FDA gives emergency use authorization (EUA) to the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12-15, it is definitely a good idea to have your child vaccinated. A study done among 2,260 children showed 100% of the children had an antibody response from the vaccine.
Also there were no cases of covid among those who were vaccinated and 18 cases of covid among those who received the placebo. No new or significant side effects were noted among those who received the vaccine.
Are the proportion of covid cases in kids going up?
Yes. In the last month we have seen 755 children with COVID-19 in Shelby County. They made up 18% of all the cases.
Comparatively, throughout the pandemic children below the age of 18 only made up 12% of the cases. So without, doubt greater percent of covid infections are occurring among children, most likely due to lack of vaccination in this group.
Any concern for fertility with the vaccine?
Absolutely not. Dr. Anthony Fauci answered questions for the Commercial Appeal last week and he made it clear that there is no evidence for young women to be concerned about the vaccine. Also, biologically it does not make sense that the vaccine can impact fertility. We need to be very cautious of social media misinformation.
When will vaccination be available for those below 12 years?
Studies are ongoing now and it is expected that Pfizer will request EUA for 5 to 11 year old children and two to five year old by this September and for infants six month to two years old by the end of the year. Data on pregnant women will be available by early August.
When will the FDA give the vaccine full authorization?
While the EUA allows rapid deployment of vaccines, it is expected that Pfizer will request for full approval for the vaccine for those over 16 years old by the end of May. Given the safety record and benefits of the vaccine in reducing the number of cases, it will get approved.
If the number of cases are stable, do I still need to get my child vaccinated?
Absolutely yes. The number of cases are stable at present because more and more people are being vaccinated and fewer people are left for the virus to infect.
However, we are still in the community transmission phase of the virus, so your child can easily catch the virus at school, at a birthday party or at sports practice.
Vaccine is our best bet to keep our children safe and we have already seen the success of so many childhood disease like measles and chickenpox from vaccines.
Source: Commercial Appeal