As the world is moving on from COVID-19, the government and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are still urging people to vaccinate. First, it started with adults and elderly people and then moved down to teens and kids. Now the vaccine is suitable for children under the age of five, but just like with adult vaccines, there is still concern about whether it is safe for toddlers to receive the vaccination.
In a recent Ethnic Media Services webinar, Dr. Lucia Abascal, an employee at California county of public health and a global health researcher at the University of California San Francisco, explained the effects Omnicoron has on kids and why they need to get vaccinated.
“Hospital studies show that toddlers and babies’ effective rate from omicron and the variants peaked for the first three months of the new year. A lot of people believe young kids are not at risk, but kids have an acute risk of being hospitalized for COVID-19, and some have died from it.”
Abascal attended clinical testing with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as they reviewed the results from an independent group of researchers who ran independent testing of vaccines for kids. The FDA was pleased with the results and decided to approve the vaccine, which is the CDC and medical professionals have been advocating. Moderna and Pfizer will be the vaccines available to kids with Moderna being a two-dose and Pfizer being three doses.
Dr. Jenifner Miller, a pediatrician at Eastbay Pediatrician, talked about some of the concerns and questions parents had over the vaccination and how it will affect their kids.
“I am seeing three different types of families when it comes to the covid vaccine. The first group are the ones that are beating my door down for their kids to get vaccinated; then you have the ones that were originally ready but now are hesitant because they are waiting for more answers to their questions; and then finally, the group is the one that are absolutely against the vaccine because they are afraid of the side effects and long term effects of the vaccine.”
Miller debunks the side effects of the vaccine.
“The worst possible outcome for kids is getting a low-grade fever which is normal when receiving any vaccinations,” Miller said, noting that some patients have questioned her about the effects on women’s fertility. She states this is a non-issue as 200,000 pregnant women received the vaccine and there were no reported complications.
As the vaccine is sent out to pediatricians and clinics, both medical experts advise parents to check with their personal healthcare provider to see if their child is eligible for the vaccinations.
