Moderna recently announced that its lower-dose coronavirus vaccine was effective for children under the age of six. What does this vaccine mean for children and their families?
Dr. Ruth Kanthula, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist at MedStar Health shares additional information below:
>> Why do young children need a COVID vaccine?
Although children experience milder symptoms compared to adults, they are still at risk for serious infections, hospitalizations, and post COVID illnesses. Children who are immunocompromised or have underlying health conditions such as obesity or asthma, are at risk of serious infections that may require hospitalization. They are also at risk of developing post COVID illnesses such as long COVID and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) following an infection.
>> Will children need a booster shot too?
Moderna is currently evaluating the need for booster doses of the current vaccine for adults and children, in addition to evaluating boosters with the vaccine that includes the Omicron variant.
>> Will the vaccine protect children against severe diseases as well?
While no severe disease requiring hospitalization was observed during the trial, we still cannot tell how well the vaccine is going to perform once it is approved. Especially given what has been observed in real time in regards to COVID variants and decreased vaccine efficacy. Fortunately, there has not been a COVID variant that has so many mutations that vaccines cannot work against it.
>> What are some doubts parents of young kids may have about the vaccine?
Most parents of immunocompromised children are eager to have their children vaccinated, as a lot of them continue to live in isolation to prevent severe disease. However, parents of children who have already been infected with COVID during the Omicron surge would rather keep their kids unvaccinated because they have developed antibodies from their infection. It is recommended for families to get vaccinated, because we still do not know how long protection against COVID following an infection may last and whether it is possible to get re-infected with the virus or not.
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