New Warnings For Unvaccinated Pregnant Women
Weve seen that women who are pregnant and get Covid infection are actually more likely to have complications and preterm delivery and challenges, unfortunately, with their pregnancy and neonatal course, she said. And we know that the vaccine is really helpful in preventing those types of complications.
Many parents are used to giving medication based on their child’s weight. Why does a tiny 5-year-old get the same vaccine dose as a much bigger 11-year-old?
Medicines work differently than vaccines, explained Dr. Stanley Spinner, chief medical officer at Texas Childrens Hospital.
If you give a full adult dose of to a very small child, their liver or kidneys may not be able to manage that full dose, he said. But vaccines are inducing an immune response. So it doesnt matter what your weight is. Its really based on the immune response and that is more age-related.
Do I Need To Give Consent In Order For My Young Child To Get Vaccinated
Yes, parents generally need to consent to their children receiving medical care, which will include Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. This is especially true for younger children.
However, if you have a teenager or child old enough to express a desire to get a COVID-19 vaccine and you haven’t given consent, they may have legal precedent to seek one out, depending on which state you live in.
In Tennessee, the rights of minors versus their parents when it comes to vaccine decisions came under the spotlight last summer when the state’s vaccine director, Michelle Fiscus, was allegedly fired, in part, for sending out a memo explaining Tennessee’s “mature minor doctrine,” which is the state’s writing on how minors may seek medical care without the consent of their parents in some cases.
When Will The Roll Out Begin
The vaccines are being administered through the school vaccination programme and invitations will be sent out from next week.
Speaking in the Commons last week, vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said:
‘We will now move with the same sense of urgency we’ve had at every point in our vaccination programme.’
On BBC Breakfast he then said vaccines should begin via schools on 22 September but reports say they began a couple of days before this.
It’s expected the roll out will be completed by October half term.
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Is There A Risk Of Myocarditis From The Vaccine
As for concerns about heart inflammation known as myocarditis or pericarditis, no cases were reported in the Pfizer trial of children 5 to 11. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there have been rare cases, mostly in male teens and young adults, and these patients can be treated with medicine and recover quickly.
The risk of heart inflammation from having Covid is actually a much bigger threat, said Dr. GigiChawla, chief of general pediatrics at Childrens Minnesota.
Myocarditis is part of the illness that can be experienced by people with Covid-19, she said. The rates of people having myocarditis associated with illness versus vaccine are far greater for illness. So if a family truly is concerned about myocarditis, they should be vaccinated.
Should My Child Get The Covid
All U.S. residents are now eligible for vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causesCOVID-19. The Pfizer vaccine received full FDA approval for people ages 16 and older and continues to be available for ages 12-15 under the FDAs emergency use authorization. Across the country, vaccine programs are available at schools, community clinics and pharmacies. Vaccination provides the best opportunity to further protect your child from COVID-19 and help get life back to normal.
Like many parents, you may have questions about vaccine safety and wonder if vaccination is the right choice for your child. While caution is understandable, its important that all eligible individuals be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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How Do I Know Whether The Vaccine Is Safe For My Child
So far, the COVID-19 vaccine appears to be safe and well tolerated in adolescents. All of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. have undergone rigorous study, but we dont want to assume that children are little adults. This is why it is so important to study these vaccines just as carefully in children before health authorities could recommend use. Ongoing studies will continue to follow vaccinated children closely and robust safety monitoring will help rapidly identify rare or unexpected concerns if they emerge.
Tetanus: Vaccination Is The Best Protection
- Tetanus is a serious disease caused by germs found in the soil. There is no community protection against tetanus. It does not spread from child to child. If your child is not vaccinated against tetanus, they are at risk.
- Even a minor cut or wound that has a tiny bit of soil in it can cause an infection. Over 10% of children and adults who get tetanus will die, even with the best intensive care.
- Over half of those who get tetanus have no history of a major cut or injury, so if your child becomes sick, make sure the doctor knows right away that they are not vaccinated. If your child has not received at least 3 doses of tetanus vaccine and has a major cut or injury, they should be given a special blood product called tetanus immune globulin as soon as possible to prevent tetanus.
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What Side Effects Might I Expect For My Child
Nonsevere side effects may be experienced following vaccination. The most commonly reported side effects have been pain and swelling at the injection site. Other common side effects include tiredness and headache. Similar to young adults, some adolescents have experienced fever, chills, muscle aches and joint pain, which may be more common after the second dose. These effects are short-lived, however, and most resolve within one to two days.
Some adolescents may faint when receiving an injection. If this is a concern for your child, let your vaccine administration site know ahead of time your child can be given the vaccine while theyre seated or lying down to avoid injuries from falling.
What Diseases Do Vaccines Prevent
Vaccines protect your child against serious illnesses like polio, which can cause paralysis measles, which can cause brain swelling and blindness and tetanus, which can cause painful muscle contractions and difficulty eating and breathing, especially in newborns. For a list of the most common vaccines and the diseases they prevent, see this list of the most common vaccines and the diseases they prevent.
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Why Do Kids Need The Vaccine If They Don’t Get As Sick As Adults
While children dont die from Covid at the same rates as older people, they still can suffer short-term and long-term effects, develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome, require hospitalization, and spread the virus to others, said Dr. Ilan Shapiro, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and medical director of health education and wellness at AltaMed community health network in Los Angeles.
Vaccines protect against the full heat of the Covid-19 disease, which is why he plans to vaccinate his 6-year-old and 9-year-old. For me, in knowing that my kids will be safer at school, that is the route that I am pursuing, he said. I want to protect my kiddos.
There have been more than 1.9 million Covid cases in children ages 5 to 11 in the United States, according to the CDC. More than 8,300 children in this group have been hospitalized with Covid, a third of whom required intensive care, and 94 have died, CDC data show.
Vaccinating children not only protects them, but it also helps protect the community and hopefully can help restore some normalcy, said Dr. Jay Harvey, a pediatrician in private practice in Boca Raton, Florida.
The overhead view is that the more children and adults who are vaccinated, the quicker everyone gets out of the pandemic, we stop the spread, we prevent the creation of new mutant strains, or at least limit that, he said, and everybody gets to hopefully start living the life they left behind almost two years ago.
Will Getting The Covid
Yes. Vaccines, along with mask-wearing, physical distancing and other precautions will help ensure your childs safe return to school, sports and other group activities in the future. The goal of prevention measures such as mask wearing and getting eligible children vaccinated is to help keep children healthy, in school and participating in their activities, Dr. Sick-Samuels says.
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Can Schools Require Covid Vaccines For Students
The answer depends on whether your child attends public or private school. Private schools, day care centers and camps can decide whether to require students to be vaccinated against Covid-19 as a condition of returning to school or the facility. So far more than 100 colleges have announced they will mandate vaccines before students can head to campus in the fall.
For public K-12 schools, vaccination requirements are largely left up to the states. All 50 states have legislation requiring specified vaccines for students, although no state currently requires children to receive the Covid-19 vaccine as a condition of returning to school, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Exemptions to school immunization requirements vary, but all states grant exemptions to children for medical reasons. Children of parents who have religious objections to immunizations can receive a religious exemption in 44 states and Washington, D.C. And 15 states allow philosophical exemptions for children whose parents object to immunizations because of personal, moral or other beliefs.
Is The Vaccine Safe
Vaccinating a child against COVID-19 is safe, and the benefits of doing so far outweigh the risks of waiting and potentially getting sick with the coronavirus, the CDC has stated after extensive clinical trials. Health experts also say it is safe to get vaccinated against COVID and the flu at the same time. And it is not possible to get COVID-19 from the vaccine itself.
After the authorization of Pfizers vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, researchers are continuing to monitor data for safety and effectiveness. Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the Food and Drug Administrations Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, shared this guidance before casting his Oct. 26 vote in support of authorizing COVID vaccine use among young children: You never know everything. The question is whether you know enough.
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Is Vaccinating Children Safe
A handful of vaccines have been tested in young people over the age of 12, including mRNA vaccines made by Moderna and PfizerBioNTech, and two Chinese vaccines made by Sinovac and Sinopharm. And several countries, including the United States, Israel and China, are now offering vaccines to this age group. Other studies are expected to report results in young people over the age of 12 soon, including studies on the Zydus Cadila vaccine and the Covaxin inactivated coronavirus vaccine, both made in India.
Thus far, the vaccines seem to be safe in adolescents, and some companies have moved on to carrying out clinical trials in children as young as six months old. In the United States, vaccines for those under 12 might be available later this year, says paediatrician Andrea Shane at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
A potential link between the Pfizer vaccine and heart inflammation conditions called myocarditis and pericarditis has emerged since Israel and the United States began vaccinating young people. However, researchers have yet to establish that the vaccine caused the inflammation. Most of those affected have recovered, and the data suggest that the risk of these conditions is extremely low, says paediatrician David Pace at the University of Malta in Msida about 67 cases per million second doses in adolescent males aged 1217, and 9 per million in adolescent females in the same age group.
If My Child Is Immunocompromised Or Has A Health Condition Can They Get A Third Shot
A third dose of Pfizer’s vaccine isn’t authorized or recommended for immunocompromised children ages 5 to 11. Additionally, the boosters currently available to some Americans who received Moderna, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson are only for adults age 18 or older. No minor is eligible for a booster.
If your child is at least 12 years old, “moderately or severely” immunocompromised and vaccinated with Pfizer, according to the CDC, they should get a third dose of Pfizer. Moderna is only authorized for people age 18 and older. Examples of people who are immunocompromised include people receiving treatment for cancers in the blood or tumors, organ transplant recipients, stem cell transplant recipients, people with untreated or advanced HIV infection and people taking drugs that could suppress the immune response, per the CDC.
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My Child Recently Was Diagnosed With Covid Should They Get Vaccinated
Children who recently have been sick should get vaccinated, but there are some notable caveats.
If your child is still sick with COVID-19, you need to follow guidelines around isolation to protect others from getting infected, said Dr. Claire Boogaard, who serves as medical director for the COVID-19 Vaccine Program at Childrens National Hospital.
And if your childs infection was treated with monoclonal antibodies, Boogaard says you need to wait 90 days from the end of that regimen before getting your child vaccinated. Your body wont get a strong immune response because it already has those things floating around, she said.
Left: Children look on as another receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease vaccine at Smoketown Family Wellness Center in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Jon Cherry
Does Pfizer’s Full Fda Approval Extend To Kids
The FDA’s approval of the vaccine by Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech, only applies to people as young as 16 years old. While Pfizer remains the only vaccine authorized for use in kids as young as 5 years old, vaccinating that age group is still under emergency use authorization rather than total approval. This is because, along with other factors, full FDA approval requires data on how the vaccine fares six months out, per NPR. Pfizer’s vaccine was only authorized for kids age 12 to 15 in May.
This means that a vaccine mandate that hinges on full approval of a coronavirus vaccine, such as the one announced for school kids in California, won’t apply to kids younger than 16 for a while.
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My Child Already Had Covid Should They Get Vaccinated
It is unclear how much durable and long-lasting protection a COVID-19 infection offers children, so public health experts recommend that children get vaccinated even if they have been sick with or tested positive for the virus. Evidence presented during the CDCs Nov. 2 meeting of experts suggested that vaccination after recovering from a COVID-19 infection provides good protection against the virus.
Is Parental Consent Required
Parental consent will be sought, but it won’t be required.
This effectively means that if a parent doesn’t wish for their child to be vaccinated, they can decided for themselves that they will.
Addressing this in his statement to MPs, Mr Zahawi said:
‘In the rare event that there is a situation a parent does not consent but the child or the teenager wants to have the vaccine, then there is a process by which the school age vaccination clinician will bring initially the parent and the child to see whether they can reach consensus and if not, if the child is deemed to be competent, then the vaccination will take place.’
This follows a system that’s already in place, similar to when flu vaccines happen.
In primary schools, only children for whom consent has been received will be vaccinated. In secondary schools, some older children may be sufficiently mature to provide their own consent if their parents have not returned a consent form and they express a wish to have a vaccine on the day of the session.
We asked Netmums’ official GP, Dr Kenny for his comment.
He said:
‘Parents have a choice and decision to make. They need to weigh up the risks and benefits. This winter, your child, whilst in school, will undoubtedly get COVID-19, if they have not yet had it already and they are not vaccinated. For the majority, they will be fine and suffer only a mild flu like illness. A minority will have more serious symptoms. The longer term impact we currently do not know.
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Can My Child Get The Covid
Yes, according to the CDC, your child may get other vaccines when they go in for their coronavirus shot without waiting 14 days between appointments. Flu shots can be given to children age 6 months and older.
Correction, Oct. 25: A previous version of this story included a sentence implying incorrect information about available vaccines for children age 12 and older. Only Pfizer’s vaccine is currently available for kids ages 12 to 17.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
Should I Worry About Myocarditis
Myocarditis and pericarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, is an uncommon side effect linked to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines and is mostly seen in adolescent males and men under 30. After looking at data and weighing the risks of vaccination and benefits of protection from COVID-19, the CDC still recommends everyone, including children as young as 5, get vaccinated.
Prior to the CDC’s official recommendation, experts that give guidance to the agency and vote on whether to recommend vaccines discussed the risks versus benefits for children as young as 5 years old. Although they do not have data to show the absolute risk of myocarditis for kids ages 5 to 11 , experts noted that baseline myocarditis is much lower in kids ages 5 to 11 than other groups. By contrast, they have a much higher risk of MIS-C, a potentially serious complication of COVID-19.
“The bottom line is that getting COVID is much riskier to the heart than anything in this vaccine, no matter what age or sex you have,” Dr. Matthew Oster said after a presentation on myocarditis prior to the CDC’s recommendation.
Side effects in kids ages 5 to 11 were mostly mild and similar to the side effects adults may experience after vaccination, according to the CDC.
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