Pediatrician answers parents’ questions about Pfizer Covid-19 boosters aged 12 to 15 years

This conversation has been edited and summarized for clarity.

CNN: You said that children up to the age of 5 with immunodeficiency are also eligible for boosters. How is it defined?

Dr. David Hill: They give us an example of a child who has undergone a solid organ transplant, such as a kidney or liver transplant. But they also say children with a comparable degree of immunodeficiency-for example, there are genetic conditions that can lead to a fairly serious degree of immunodeficiency. Those children are almost certainly already seen by immunologists or infectious disease specialists.

If you are a parent who thinks your child may be eligible for a booster based on their immune status, check in to the doctor who manages their status and see what they say. give me.

CNN: When will boosters in this age group be available?

hill: That’s a great question. What we know is that there is another step. It is a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Implementation called ACIP. The CDC says it plans to meet later this week. If ACIP approves this, the implementation should be very quick.

Delays can occur in ordering and storing vaccines in different locations.

CNN: How do I know if boosters are in stock in my area?

hill: I know that vaccine availability will continue to vary by location and demand. I haven’t seen any specific reports of where the shortage may exist. I know I can check in to my local health care provider or health department to find the best place to administer the booster.

CNN: What do you need to bring to your appointment?

hill: Please be sure to bring your child’s vaccine card. The institution looks for evidence of when the second dose was given, as boosters should occur at least 5 months after the second dose of Pfizer or Modena vaccine children.

Currently, many states have state-wide vaccine registries. This is another source of confirmation, as if the location where you obtained the booster is part of a state-wide registry, there may actually be electronic documents that should be available state-wide.

And there is an electronic health record for your child to track the vaccine. Electronic health records may need to be adjusted to accommodate new vaccine developments or new vaccine schedules, and these are to ensure that the system is ready when the CDC approves the booster. Vendors who program their records are usually very sensitive.

CNN: How is this dose compared to the original vaccine dose? What are the side effects?

hill: Should be the same. We did not find any difference in booster doses compared to the first two vaccines.

Obviously, the common side effects of boosters remain the same as for the first two vaccines. Pain, redness or swelling at the injection site. Some people experience fatigue, headaches, pain in muscles and joints, and chills.

One of the more common things that seems to be with booster doses is swelling of the lymph nodes under the armpits given the dose. It is not uncommon to see some lymph nodes swollen in the inflammatory response, as lymph nodes are the way our body responds to infections and inflammation. But it seems a bit more common with booster doses.

The good news in terms of side effects is that none of the children studied so far have developed cardiomyopathy. It doesn’t surprise us, as we probably need to inject millions of injections before considering one case of cardiomyopathy. Of course, this age group has not yet been vaccinated with millions of third vaccines. However, it is very encouraging that there was no single case among the people studied.

CNN: Would you advise parents and guardians not to send their children to school the day after the booster shot?

hill: I think most kids will be able to go to school the next day. However, if childcare is difficult, it’s a good idea to have a preliminary plan in case your child feels sick or has a fever and can’t go to school.

CNN: How long does it take to start boosting immunity after a booster shot?

hill: What we have learned so far from boosters of other age groups is that the immunity is already significantly improved in the first 7 days and appears to be maximized in about 14 days. It’s not a switch that clicks after 7-14 days, but it’s a kind of curve that rises in those two weeks.

CNN: Do you know how well boosters can protect against Delta or Omicron variants?

hill: There are data on how well boosters protect against Delta and Omicron, and they seem to protect very well. Now, when you say protect, it’s very important to ask what you want to protect. People would say, “Oh, you know, I got the vaccine, and I’m still infected with Covid-19.” Yes, that may be the case. In fact, it is guaranteed to happen to a certain number of people.

What you want to know is that you are unlikely to be hospitalized. Are you unlikely to die? And the answer is yes. The effectiveness of these vaccines against serious life-threatening illnesses is very high.

It’s the same question people have about the flu vaccine. It is not uncommon to get a mild flu shot after being vaccinated against the flu. That can happen. However, vaccines against influenza have always been strongly protected from hospitalization and death, a similar situation. Data on important endpoints-“Are you alive next year? Can you breathe?” -Very positive.

CNN: Parents often see comments online about how vaccines (including boosters) can harm a child’s development. What are the facts?

hill: There are no data suggesting that these vaccines adversely affected child development. The side effects we are aware of are temporary, fairly mild, and relatively non-permanent.

This concern for cardiomyopathy is still present, especially for older teenagers. But even when they saw children experience this incredibly rare side effect, the majority recovered without long-term health problems. Overall, I think it’s very good that the vaccine is very positive.