Understanding the Latest on COVID-19 Vaccinations in Children

Mar 07, 2022

By:Cindy Moore, RPh, CSP, Clinical Program Manager

Cindy Moore.jpg

Well into our second year of the global pandemic, we are all constantly receiving updates on who, when and how often to vaccinate against COVID-19. Parents or caregivers of children who want to help ensure the safety of their children against the virus may have questions about what guidelines to follow. In an effort to provide some clarity, here are six things to keep in mind when it comes to protecting your children from COVID-19.

1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 5 and older get vaccinated and here’s why.

To begin with, the COVID-19 virus is still circulating in our communities. Secondly, children are able to pass COVID-19 on to others. This can include younger siblings who are too young to be vaccinated yet, people who are immunocompromised, and the elderly who have poorer outcomes.¹ This transmission can happen, even if the child doesn’t have any symptoms. For children under the age of 5, Pfizer is conducting trials and hopefully will submit the outcomes to the FDA for review in the coming months.² Third, most children who get COVID-19 may remain asymptomatic or develop only mild symptoms, however, rare severe cases occur.³ And finally, it’s important to have eligible children vaccinated so that kids are able to continue in-person school. The CDC has stated that COVID-19 vaccination among all eligible students, as well as teachers, staff, and their families, is the most critical strategy to help schools safely resume and stay in full operation.³

2. Children should get the vaccine, even if they’ve already had COVID-19.

Children, like adults, should be vaccinated regardless of whether or not they have already had COVID-19. Getting sick from COVID-19 offers some protection from future illness, but that varies based on factors such as the severity of the first infection.^4,5

Studies have shown that the vaccine does boost immunity for those who have recovered from COVID-19. Studies have also shown that the benefits of vaccination decrease over time and that’s why booster doses should be given to those who are eligible. The vaccine can also help prevent new variants from emerging, as well as prevent severe disease and hospitalization.⁵

3. Teens with underlying autoimmune diseases or other chronic conditions should receive the vaccine.

People who are immunocompromised are especially vulnerable to COVID-19. The CDC recommends that everyone, including immunocompromised people, get a COVID-19 vaccine primary series if they are 5 years and older as soon as possible. After completing the first two shots, some moderately or severely immunocompromised people should get an additional primary shot. This is because for these people, the vaccine may not be as effective as in the general population. An additional shot is needed to increase their immune response.

It’s important to not confuse this additional primary shot with the booster shot. Those 12 years and older, including immunocompromised people, should also get the booster shot. If you are eligible for an additional primary shot, you should get this dose first before you get a booster shot. And finally, parents should talk with their child’s physician to determine the correct vaccine regimen for them.⁶

4. Similar to adults, some younger people may experience mild side effects with the vaccine.

V-Safe is a smartphone-based safety monitoring system that has been used to track reported side effects of the vaccines. The top reported side effects, after a second shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for younger adolescents, include:
• Pain, redness, swelling at the injection site 
• Fatigue 
• Headache 
• Muscle aches 
• Fever 
• Chills 
• Nausea 
Some cases of heart inflammation have occurred, primarily in males ages 12-17, but this is rare.⁷

5. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccines outweigh the risks.

Millions of older children and teens have been vaccinated, with very few and rare issues. In clinical trials, the Pfizer vaccine demonstrated efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19 at a rate of approximately:

• 95% for ≥16 years of age (prevented hospitalization at 100%)⁸
• 100% in adolescents aged 12–15 years old⁹
• 91% in children 5-11 years old.¹⁰

COVID-19 – the virus, not the vaccine – ranks as one of the top 10 causes of death for children age 5 through 11 years.11 Children can experience both short and long-term complications after infection such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C). This is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. As of Jan. 31, 2022, there have been over 6,800 cases of MIS-C reported in children up to the age of 20 years old with almost half of patients between the age of 5 and 11 years old.¹²

6. Parents should know the COVID-19 vaccines is safe for their children.

There are a number of things that may help parents who have concerns about having their children vaccinated:

• First of all, COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.¹³
• They have undergone the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history, which includes studies in adolescents and children.¹³
• Millions of people all around the world have received COVID-19 vaccines ¹³
• Your child cannot get COVID-19 from any COVID-19 vaccine.¹⁴

And finally, long before the pandemic, thousands of cases of myocarditis, or heart inflammation, were diagnosed in the U.S. and around the world each year. These cases are often triggered by the body's immune response to infections. In fact, it’s important to understand that the actual COVID-19 virus causes heart inflammation much more than a COVID-19 vaccine.

For the latest information on COVID-19, visit CDC.gov.

Sources:

Back to Blog > Blog Stories

Understanding the Latest on COVID-19 Vaccinations in Children

For this, we'll send you to Walgreens.com