Which COVID-19 vaccines are given to children? [WE EXPLAIN]

Children can become infected with COVID-19. Moreover, the disease is not always asymptomatic or mild. Due to unvaccinated children, the virus can also spread to other people. Vaccinating children is important for the safety of the youngest and their relatives. Which vaccine to choose?

1. Vaccinated children may contribute to the achievement of population immunity
2. Thanks to vaccination, the child is protected against hospitalization and the severe course of COVID-19 infection
3. Currently, in Poland, children from 12 years of age two vaccines can be administered: Pfizer and Moderny
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage.

Do children need to be vaccinated against COVID-19?

At the beginning of the pandemic, it was believed that the coronavirus did not infect children. Children were then treated not as a group at risk of disease, but rather as transmitters of the virus. As asymptomatic carriers, the youngest could spread the virus from one adult to another.

Today the situation is quite different. Subsequent mutations of the coronavirus are becoming less and less lenient for children. At this stage, taking into account the spectrum of the fourth wave caused by the Delta variant, vaccination of children against COVID-19 should become the most common.

– We should vaccinate children against COVID-19 – said Dr. Lidia Stopyra, a contagious pediatrician, in an interview with Medonet. – There is no doubt about that. First, children are not as mildly ill as we think they are. A year ago, at the beginning of the pandemic, it was said that children did not get sick or that the infection was asymptomatic. The children were also said not to transmit the virus. And in that first wave it was like that. However, in the second, and even more so in the third wave, we had a lot of serious illnesses in children. There were also serious complications. Fortunately, they are not common, but they do occur nonetheless. So we should vaccinate children just to keep them safe. The second point is that children play a vital role in transmitting the virus. At this point, if we want to achieve population immunity, we must also vaccinate our children, she added.

1. Also check: Is it safe to vaccinate children against COVID-19? Explains the pediatrician

Natural herd immunity simply cannot be achieved without children. And this, in turn, may mean the need to introduce further lockdowns.

– It is said that children between 12 and 16 years of age is about 2,5 million people in Poland. You should be aware that adults will not vaccinate 100%. – emphasized Dr. Stopyra. – In no country will it be like that. Therefore, without this powerful group of young people, we will not achieve population resilience. If young people want to go back to school, if parents are waiting to return to normal life without remote lessons and work from home, the decision to vaccinate children against COVID-19 must be made.

Do you want to test your immunity to COVID-19 after vaccination? Have you been infected and want to check your antibody levels? Check the COVID-19 immunity test package that you will perform at selected points in the Diagnostics network.

Vaccination of children with Pfizer – effectiveness, how many doses, the most common NOPs

The Pfizer vaccine was the first preparation against COVID-19 that could be given to children under 18 years of age. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved it for use by adolescents 12+ at the end of May.

The Americans and Canadians were the first to give children the Pfizer vaccine. In Poland, the process of vaccinating young people began on June 7.

Pfizer is an mRNA preparation given in two doses. The recommended interval between the first and second doses is 21 days. Only the administration of two doses of the preparation guarantees high immunity against infection or hospitalization due to COVID-19. The vaccine begins to protect after a minimum of 14 days after the second dose.

1. The editorial board recommends: Adverse reactions in children after vaccination against COVID-19. Should parents be afraid of them? We ask the pediatrician

In order for the Pfizer vaccine to be given to the children, tests were necessary. Two thousand people took part in them. 2 young people between 260 and 12 years of age By comparing data from children who received the COVID-15 vaccine and those who received a placebo, Pfizer’s effectiveness was estimated to be 19%. when it comes to preventing disease (although the EMA admits the actual rate may vary between 100% and 75%).

The most common side effects of the Pfizer vaccine in this age group are pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, chills, and fever. These symptoms are usually mild to moderate and disappear within a few days of receiving the vaccine.

Vaccination of children with Moderna – effectiveness, how many doses, the most common post-vaccination reactions

EMA approved the administration of the Moderny vaccine in the 12-17 year old group in late July. Even 18-year-olds could be vaccinated with it earlier.

As with Pfizer, Moderna is an mRNA vaccine that is given in two doses. Again, the recommended interval between the first and second injections is 21 days. Both doses result in full inoculation, which is min. 14 days after the injection.

1. Also read: Child Vaccinations in the USA. These side effects are the most common

Study of the safety and effectiveness of the Moderna vaccine among adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age took place on a group of 3 thousand. 732 young people. Some received the preparation, while others received a placebo. None of the children who received the vaccine developed symptomatic COVID-19 infection (four out of 1073 among young people receiving placebo).

The most common adverse reactions following Moderna in the 12-17 year group are: pain and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, enlarged lymph nodes, chills, nausea, vomiting and fever. These symptoms are mild to moderate and go away within a few days.

Also read:

1. Will the children go to school in September? There are recommendations from the Medical Council
2. “People are begging for a vaccine when it’s too late”
3. COVID-19 may cause a decline in intelligence? New study
4. Prof. Piotr Kuna: you have to stop using the word pandemic and start treating the virus normally

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