The FDA has determined that the Pfizer vaccine is safe for 5-11-year-olds. The Pfizer vaccine met all of the FDA’s criteria and the benefits outweigh the risks. The CDC recommends that those eligible should get the vaccine.
”The uptake on a 5- to 11[-year-old] vaccine has been very brisk, and I suspect that uptake is going to be better than 12 to 17. There were some estimates that uptake would be less than 12 to 17. I think it could be the opposite,” said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the FDA and current member of Pfizer’s board of directors,. “Right now, CVS is scheduled to deliver more than 1 million vaccines to kids ages 5 to 11 today, so I think you’re going to see broad immunity get put into the child population.”
Parents are on the fence about whether or not to give their children the vaccines since cases were declining and symptoms are mild in most cases. Regardless, doctors recommend the vaccine to prevent disruptions in school, hospitalizations, and possible complications with COVID-19. The number of adolescents and children that were hospitalized during the summer has increased dramatically due to the Delta variant. There is also some concern that the Omicron variant may be more dangerous for young children than previous variants.
The vaccine for ages 5-11 will not be the same for the ones given to adolescents and adults. It will have a lower dose of the Pfizer vaccine, about one-third of the adolescents’ and adults’ dosage, and will be given with a smaller needle. The lower dose is to minimize side effects but still provide a good immune response. Even though it is a lower dose, the vaccine is still 90.7% effective.
“In general, younger kids do not get as sick as adults. But, throughout the course of the pandemic, we have had a number of children in our intensive care unit from COVID-related complications,” says Dr. Thomas Murray, a Yale Medicine pediatric infectious diseases specialist. “If we can prevent those, that is a huge win.”
There are no new side effects, the reactions were very similar to the ones in the different age groups. The most common side effects are soreness, fatigue, and muscle aches. A risk that occurred in the other age groups was myocarditis, which is inflammation in the heart. In the study, there were no reports but the fewer occurrences may have been the result of the lower dose.
“Considering the data shows the highest incidents of rising cases being children between the age of 5-11, I would strongly encourage our Barstow families to research credible sources and determine if the vaccine is the right choice for them.” Nurse Zinkus said in regards to the vaccine.
Throughout the U.S., children 5-11 years old make up 39% of COVID-19 cases of those younger than 18. About 8,300 are hospitalized and 146 have died. The CDC recommends that parents sign their kids up for vaccines as soon as possible. Barstow lower school students and parents should definitely look into getting a vaccine to make Barstow a safer place.
