Arizona doctors emphasize that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children

Phoenix (AP) — The COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children and provides the best way to overcome the inconvenience caused by a pandemic, Arizona doctors say parents prior to the expected approval by the federal government. He said he was aiming to reassure him.

Most children infected with COVID-19 have only mild symptoms, but doctors say that some children experience serious complications and the risk of serious illness is remote from the side effects of serious vaccines. It is higher than the risk. Doctors say the safety of the vaccine is clear, as billions of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered worldwide and extensive clinical trials have been conducted in young people in the United States.

Former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona advises Governor Doug Ducey on dealing with a pandemic, saying that waiting for other children to go first is a “calculated risk” that parents take. Told.

“The risk of vaccination is very small and minor compared to the potential scale of the disease that can kill you,” Carmona said.

In the United States, just under 560 people under the age of 18 died of COVID-19, 22 of whom died in Arizona, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Others have developed a serious condition known as polysymptomatic inflammatory syndrome in children, often requiring hospitalization.

“Not all children will work,” said Dr. Sean Elliott, a physician at the Tucson Medical Center and head of medical care for infectious diseases and immunization at the Arizona branch of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “I’m currently in some hospitals that need oxygen and they’re poking needles.”

In Arizona, 225,000 child-sized vaccinations are expected if final approval is obtained. This is enough to give the first inoculation to about one-third of the 645,000 children aged 5 to 11 years in the state.

NS Friday’s Food and Drug Administration approved child-sized dose The development of a vaccine manufactured by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech left only one regulatory hurdle before administering the shot. This is the approval of the CDC Director. The CDC adviser will make detailed recommendations on Tuesday for young people to be vaccinated, shortly after which a final decision will be made by the director of the authorities.

“This is being studied,” said Dr. Wasimbalan, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Phoenix Childrens. “We have a long history of doing this in the elderly group, and now we have data for that particular age group, proving that it is safe and effective.”

According to Balan, if children are vaccinated, they will not have to be absent from school for quarantine if they become ill or become infected with COVID-19.

Vaccinated children protect high-risk relatives, delay transmission of the virus, and reduce the likelihood of mutations in ways that invalidate existing vaccines.

In a Pfizer study of 2,268 school children, the vaccine was symptomatic COVID, based on COVID-19 in 16 children given dummy shots, compared to only three vaccinated children. -19 Found to be almost 91% effective in preventing infections.

The FDA finally evaluated more children (3,100) who received the child’s dose to conclude that it was safe. Young people experienced the same or less temporary reactions (arm pain, fever, pain, etc.) as teenagers.

However, the study was not large enough to detect very rare side effects, such as occasional heart inflammation, after the second full dose, mainly in young men and teenage boys. It is unclear whether younger children with lower doses will also face the rare risk. The FDA has promised to monitor closely on Friday.

Don Herrington, Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said pediatric vaccinations will be available through retail pharmacies and more than 900 providers such as pediatricians and community health clinics. Special vaccination clinics are also arranged in collaboration with the school and local health care providers.

“We have a supply chain. We have an infrastructure for people to vaccinate,” Carmona said. “All the structures are in place. Now we need people who are willing to step up and get vaccinated.”