Over 600,000 children, ages 12 to 15, have already received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccination, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a media briefing the week of May 17, 2021.
The count comes just over a week after the Food and Drug Administration greenlighted it for emergency use in this age group, a total of 17 million in the U.S. — though many major pharmacies and hospitals did not start administering the shots until last Thursday, after the CDC also signed off on it.
It’s important to note that only Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine is authorized for use in children under 18. As of Tuesday, about 3.5 million people younger than 18 have been vaccinated, according to CDC data.
With all this news about children being vaccinated, it raises a lot of questions for parents. Here are a few common ones:
ANSWER: Children’s immune systems are brimming with cells that haven’t seen pathogens, so they tend to produce a strong immune response to vaccines, says Donna Farber, an immunologist at Columbia University in New York City. “It’s those first few years of life, where you’re learning about pathogens.”
Early trial results have shown that 12–15-year-olds who received two standard doses of the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine developed substantially higher levels of virus-blocking antibodies than did 16–25-year-olds in earlier trials. Farber wonders whether children who are even younger will get the same immune response from a lower dose.
ANSWER: No, the rumors related to COVID-19 vaccines affecting puberty or fertility are unfounded. The mRNA vaccines are processed near the injection site and activated immune system cells travel through the lymph system to nearby lymph nodes. In this manner, they are not affecting hormone levels, nor are they traveling throughout the body to other parts of the body. As such, there would not be a biological reason to expect that maturation or reproductive functionality of either males or females would be negatively affected by COVID-19 vaccination now or in years to follow.
ANSWER: Although COVID-19 in children is usually milder than in adults, some kids can get very sick and have complications or long-lasting symptoms that affect their health and well-being. The virus can cause death in children although this is rarer than for adults.
Like adults, children also can transmit the coronavirus to others if they’re infected, even when
no symptoms are present. The COVID-19 vaccine protects against this potential harm to the child and others, including family members and friends who may be susceptible.
Another reason to consider a COVID-19 vaccine for your child is to protect the health of the broader community. Each child or adult infected with the coronavirus provides a chance for the virus to mutate and create a variant that might prove more dangerous or resistant to the available vaccines and therapies. Fewer overall infections among the population means less chance of dangerous coronavirus variants.
ANSWER: Yes, it is possible for a child infected with the coronavirus to transmit COVID-19 to another person. Data from some studies suggest that young children may be less likely than older children and adults to spread the coronavirus to others, but it can still happen.
ANSWER: According to a report published by the CDC, going back to in-person school is not a major COVID-19 risk factor for children if they maintain prevention measures such as wearing masks and physical distancing. Attending parties, playdates and in-person family gatherings such as weddings and funerals is associated with a higher risk of children testing positive for the coronavirus. Having your teen or child vaccinated as soon as he or she is eligible will help prevent infections and spread of COVID-19.
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