Do I need to immunize my child against COVID-19?The doctor answers the parent’s question

Children returned to school while incidents increased and decreased.

The predominant, highly contagious delta mutant in Michigan dim what looked like a hopeful outlook early in the summer.

Healthcare workers, governors, and presidents continue to promote vaccines as the best way to overcome a pandemic, but numbers have stagnated significantly.

Of all age groups, young people aged 12 to 19 have the lowest immunization rates. About 42% have taken at least one shot. In contrast, about 75% of people over the age of 50 in Michigan are at least partially vaccinated.

Within the next few months, the only Pfizer vaccine available to children under the age of 18 will be approved for children aged 5-11.

Recently, three Michigan doctors answered viewers’ questions about vaccines for children in live videos streamed on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Below are some questions and answers.

What is the chance that my child will experience the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine?

This is probably the biggest concern of parents, said Dr. Elizabeth Lloyd, a pediatric infectious disease expert at the CS Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor.

Serious adverse side effects are rare, doctors and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

Most commonly, patients experience pain and redness at the injection site. Some people see swollen lymph nodes, according to Lloyd. “And that’s actually a good sign that your immune system is working and responding.”

A “significant number” of adults and adolescents have problems beyond the injection site. These include fever, headache, body aches, or malaise, most commonly after a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, but usually resolve spontaneously within a few days.

Children and adults report similar symptoms. “If anything, you may have seen data that it’s a little less frequent than adults,” Lloyd said of the children.

Can children have an allergic reaction to the vaccine?

Allergic reactions can occur to any vaccine, Lloyd said. 2-5 shots per million doses given cause severe allergic reactions. Less reactions, such as the onset of urticaria, are possible. Therefore, make sure that the patient is monitored for a period of time and sees a doctor if necessary.

The vaccine does not contain allergens found in other vaccines, such as eggs, preservatives, gelatin and latex.

Lloyd is for people with concerns and children with allergies Vaccine package insert, Available online.

Dr. Ixsy Ramirez, a pediatric pulmonologist at CS Mott Children’s Hospital, said she had no history of patients who had an allergic reaction to the vaccine in her office.

Does the COVID-19 vaccine affect childbirth or menstruation?

On the contrary, doctors say there is no evidence of it, despite the fact that it is often widely discussed on social media.

This can be a concern for parents of adolescent girls, but all studies and data show that men or women have no effects of infertility, Dr. Sandy Patel said in August. Told. She is a pediatric hospitalist at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak and has a vaccinated teenage daughter. She thought about this and studied it. There was concern about miscarriage, but the study denied this concern, she said.

Dr. Alanna Nzoma, a pediatrician in Michigan medicine based in Brighton, says that women or girls experience temporary heavy or light periods, or change the start or end date of a cycle. .. “But among the many who say this is the cause or effect of the COVID-19 vaccine, there is nothing we can point out.”

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends vaccines for pregnant, pregnant, and lactating women.

Related: No, the COVID-19 vaccine does not affect childbirth

Much data collected since the vaccine’s clinical trials show that many vaccinated women continue to have healthy pregnancies, Lloyd said.

Children have a low risk of serious COVID illness and death. Is it worthwhile to vaccinate them and experience side effects?

The usually mild and short-term side effects of vaccination are minor compared to what can occur in children with severe COVID infections, Nzoma said.

According to doctors, statistics show that children are certainly less likely to experience a serious illness than older people.

However, the number of cases is increasing and some children may become seriously ill. Unfortunately, some will die, Nzoma said.

According to Lloyd, COVID-19 was the top 10 cause of death for children of all ages last year. “We now have the potential to prevent many of those deaths.”

Even among adolescents, unvaccinated people were 10 times more likely to be hospitalized than fully vaccinated people, she said.

A CDC study published this month examined children’s hospitalization rates by mid-August. Weekly COVID-19-related hospitalization rates increased nearly five-fold from late June to August, consistent with increased circulation of highly infectious delta mutants.

Vaccinated children can also get the disease before they develop symptoms, which helps slow the spread of the disease, Nzoma said.

When vaccinated, they can protect the people around them – younger siblings, weakened families, or older grandparents.

They are contributing to greater profits. The more people vaccinated, the less likely the virus will mutate and change, as in the case of Delta, and the higher the indicators of disease and infection across the country, doctors said.

What about children who are already infected with COVID? Should they be vaccinated?

Yes. Doctors also recommend vaccinations for people with innate immunity. “The infection itself and the vaccine provide different modes of antibody response, which can probably be complementary,” Ramirez said.

It is important to prepare, especially as autumn and winter approach.

People can be infected multiple times, and immunization will help prevent this, she said.

According to Lloyd, reinfection studies show that naturally infected and vaccinated people are much less likely to be repeatedly infected.

Related: What we know about innate immunity to COVID-19

A CDC study published in August found that unvaccinated residents of Kentucky were 2.34 times more likely to be re-infected than fully vaccinated residents.

There are reports of teenagers suffering from myocarditis after vaccination. What is this and how often does it occur?

This is inflammation of the heart muscle and is a rare condition associated with vaccines. Adolescents and young adult men are at greatest risk, with about 60 cases per million vaccinated, Lloyd said.

Most often, you will have chest pain or shortness of breath, which usually improves in a few days, but may not be treated. Some people need to be hospitalized, but she said they still tend to improve quickly.

According to Lloyd, there are no deaths in the United States from vaccine-related myocarditis.

She also said that COVID-19 causes myocarditis at a higher rate than vaccines. There are about 1,500 cases per million infected people.

Monitor the child after the second dose. If you experience chest pain or shortness of breath, get an assessment, Nzoma said.

Do children with congenital heart disease have an increased risk of side effects and worse results if they have myocarditis?

From what is known, Lloyd said children with heart disease are more likely to suffer from myocarditis than any other child. She said the results may depend on the details of the underlying condition.

Children with underlying illness may be at increased risk of severe COVID-19, and it may be even more important or urgent for them to be vaccinated, she said.

Are there any children who should not be vaccinated?

According to Lloyd, only those who are known to be allergic to the vaccine component.

“And, as I mentioned earlier, as many risk factors as children with asthma, and how many of these underlying health concerns can actually make them susceptible to severe COVID. Those patients probably need to consider vaccination in particular, knowing what. “

When will younger children have access to the vaccine?

Children aged 5 to 11 are the first to be eligible. Pfizer has been investigating since March, and data on vaccinations for this group may be available by the end of September, Lloyd said.

Next, the US Food and Drug Administration needs to review the information and evaluate its safety and efficacy. If all goes well, the vaccine could be approved for children aged 5-11 by the end of October.

On Monday, Pfizer, in collaboration with German partner BioNTech, Announced that the vaccine has been shown to be safe and highly effective Children 5-11 years old.

For younger groups of 2-5 months and 6 months to 2 years, it will take longer. The FDA will probably not see data related to younger groups until around November.

How do children handle the virus? How often do they get hospitalized?

As of Friday, 30 children across the state were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19. In comparison, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, 1,442 adults were hospitalized.

Michigan medicine has seen “probably a slight increase in numbers,” Lloyd said.

The number of pediatric cases in Michigan is increasing. According to the latest state COVID data and modeling updates released on Tuesday, the trend for case rates was highest between the ages of 10 and 19. As of September 13, childhood cases were increasing in all regions except Traverse City.

In general, children infected with COVID-19 have cold-like symptoms and severe congestion. Children under the age of one or two will be frustrated, Nzoma said.

Pediatricians usually find that a small percentage of pediatric patients who test positive for the virus have been diagnosed with multisystem inflammatory syndrome. These patients experience a mild clinical course, and after a few weeks, they develop fever and the rash begins to show organ dysfunction. According to the CDC, the heart, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs can become inflamed. This syndrome can be serious, but most will recover.

According to doctors, children can also develop persistent, prolonged symptoms of COVID-19, such as fatigue, joint pain, and shortness of breath.

Is there evidence that the delta variant makes the child more ill than the previous variant?

Initially, hospitalizations seemed to increase as the number of cases increased, according to Lloyd. There is some evidence that Delta increases the risk of hospitalization as medical professionals are now collecting more information.

What are the potential risks associated with the COVID vaccine compared to the risks of other pediatric vaccines?

Nzoma said the usual symptoms such as injection site reactions, low-grade fever, and malaise are similar. “These types we see regularly on average vaccinations.”

Are people likely to experience these mild side effects with the COVID-19 vaccine? “Potentially,” she said.

Parents can administer Tylenol or ibuprofen for pain and fever, she said.

In summary?

“Vaccines are the best shots we need to get through this pandemic and return to normal life,” Lloyd said.

“I know there is a lot of misinformation, distrust, and confusion there.”

She suggested that parents who still have questions should consult their doctor or pediatrician.

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