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Answering questions about the COVID-19 vaccine for children (and parents) ages 5 to 11

November 6, 2021
Henry Club

“My mom and my dad said it would help keep me, my friends, my neighbors, my Abuela healthy,” Rosita told CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta at the Sixth Town Hall of CNN and Sesame Streets Big. Told in co-hosted. Birds and Friends.

“Your parents are absolutely right,” Gupta tells Rosita. “Covid vaccines are now available for children ages 5 and up and the more people who get them, the better we can help stop the spread of COVID and keep everyone healthy.”

will it hurt?

Ouch. “The No. 1 thing I’ve heard so far is, ‘I don’t want this to hurt. How bad would that be?'” Pediatrician and Child Development Specialist Dr. David Hill told CNN last month.

“I never lie to kids,” said Hill, co-host of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ leading podcast, “Pediatrics on Call.”

Parents are bound to hear this question before getting in the car to get the vaccine, and Hill has some ready-made advice:

“You want to be honest. You want to say, ‘You know what, it’s going to hurt a little bit, but it won’t be as bad as some of the other things that happen to you all the time — like falling down when you running or stubbing your toe.'”

Can you keep it from getting hurt?

That being said it will hurt – even a little – can be dangerous for some children, especially those who are hesitant about needles. Hill said there are things parents (and health care practitioners) can do right before and during the shot that can help.

Give the child a sense of control. Talk with the child about what they can do, such as deciding where they want to get the shot.

“You like to play baseball and you’re right-handed, right? You might want to take the shot with your left hand instead of your right,” Hill said.

Kelly Foy and Pat McLarney, both child life education specialists at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, told CNN in an earlier interview that young children may benefit from advance role play by vaccinating stuffed animals or dolls before their shots. He added that older children can write a list of questions for the nurse and doctor.

Use distraction and calming techniques. Hill suggests talking to kids beforehand about how they can use breathing and distraction techniques to reduce their attention to the shot.

He suggests asking your child: “‘Did you know that things hurt less if you take a breath and blow really slowly? If you’re singing or if you hold my hand. If they are caught, they also get hurt less.

“If you can reassure kids that yes, you’ll have control, and yes, it’s going to hurt a little bit, but we’re going to help you avoid hurting as much as you think, those things will be a lot. can be helpful,” Hill said.

Foy and McLarney suggest that a child can also place some ice on their arm to numb it just before the shot. (Buy a cold-pack immediately to use or check with your pediatrician to see if they can refrigerate one.)

Pop-it toys, fidget spinners, bubble wrap, squeezing balls, even vibrating toys can be quite distracting, he said. Older children may benefit from creating a playlist of songs to listen to, playing video games, or preparing them to watch distracting videos.

Play a fun activity to do later. Experts say that children are excited about family outings, going to their favorite places and playing dates. So plan something fun that they can look forward to.

positive attitudes are important

Getting vaccinated is a positive thing, and parents should emphasize the benefits, specialist stressors, such as more play dates with friends and seeing relatives or family friends who got out of bounds because of age or immune status Huh.

Experts say staying excited about all the benefits of the vaccine will help your child.
Gupta told CNN anchor John Berman, “Get together, take off the mask, hug the grandparents or anyone… CNN’s new day this week.

“The data has been really compelling. We knew how good the vaccines were from the preliminary data: They reduce the chance of infection by 11.5 times and the chance of becoming seriously ill by 20 times. They’re not perfect. They are really, really good,” Gupta said.

As far as the kids are concerned, it’s just another shot like all other shots, Hill insisted.

These states and cities are offering children to pay when they get vaccinated

“How they react depends largely – if not entirely – on how adults experience them in their lives,” he said.

“If we’re expressing concern, doubt, or concern, they’ll totally pay attention to that. If we’re expressing confidence and relief, they’ll pay attention to that too. And kids are always listening, even That’s when we think they’re not,” he said.

Combination of covid-19 and flu vaccine

Many parents want to know if they can immunize their child from the flu while they are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

“The answer is yes,” said Gupta to Burman. In fact, he said, pediatricians often encourage multiple vaccinations in a single day.

“That way it’s easy – you don’t have to bring the baby back,” Gupta said. “He’ll have a sore arm for a few days, but get both shots. It could be the worst flu season this year.”

Almost every American can get vaccinated. now what?
If given at the same time, the vaccines will be given in a different injection site – for example, in the other arm, or in two different places on the leg, CNN medical analyst Dr. Lena Wayne told CNN this week.

Wayne stressed that even healthy children need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.

“About a third of children hospitalized with COVID-19 are those who have no underlying health condition. Healthy children can become very ill with the coronavirus,” she said.

Side effects

Speaking of sore throat, what other side effects should parents watch out for from the COVID-19 vaccine?

Vaccine trials conducted on thousands of children between the ages of 5 and 11 show side effects similar to those in adults, but were often mild, Wayne, who is the author of a new book called “Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health” and a mother of two young children.
Commonly asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine for young children - an expert weighs in
“The most common side effects are pain, fatigue, and headache at the injection site,” Wayne said.. “Some children may experience fever and chills. All of these side effects subside within a few days. In fact, the risks of these side effects were lower in younger children than in adults — probably because of the lower dosage.”

The authorized dose for ages 5 to 11 is 10 micrograms, or one-third of the 30 microgram dose given to adults and children 12 years of age and older.

“Some parents may be concerned about long-term side effects,” Wayne said. “There is no scientific reason to think so. Side effects from other vaccinations tend to occur within the first two or three weeks after the shots, not months later.”

A safety concern is the risk of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, inflammation around the heart, which sometimes appears in young adults receiving the vaccine.

Vaccine mix-ups are rare and systems exist to keep it that way

Emanuel “Chip” Walter Jr., chief medical officer of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, said clinical trials at ages 5 to 11 were careful to track any reactions that could be warning signs and children. No cases of myocarditis were observed in the trial. and professor of pediatrics at Duke School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, who led one of the trials.

“If a child complained of any pain, chest pain, or shortness of breath, the families were called immediately and the children were evaluated. So it was investigated very closely in the trial, and there were no cases, ” Walter told CNN in late October.

Can children with food allergies be vaccinated?

Wayne stressed that if your child has a common food allergy, there’s no reason to avoid the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Covid-19 vaccines do not contain egg products, as some other vaccines do. If your child has a food allergy or has had a reaction to any other vaccines in the past, it may be wise to avoid the COVID-19 vaccine. Not a reason,” she said.

However, check with your doctor if your child has had a prior reaction to vaccines or injectable therapy for any other diseases. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised.
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“Your doctor will help you decide if it is safe for you to get vaccinated,” the CDC wrote.

Overall, according to the CDC, the only reason not to get this vaccine is if the child has a severe allergy to one of its components — PEG or polysorbate.

“PEG mRNA is an ingredient in vaccines (Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna), and polysorbate is an ingredient in the J&J/Jensen vaccine,” the CDC says.

When is my child fully vaccinated?

Like adults, a child is fully vaccinated two weeks after the second injection. At this point, there’s no way to fully vaccinate kids by Thanksgiving or Hanukkah, experts say. Therefore all precautions including masking and social distancing from high-risk family members should be followed.

As long as the first shot is given by November 19, a child will have full protection for Christmas, Kwanzaa, and year-end gatherings.

CNN’s Madeline Holcombe, Katie Hurley and Faye Chiu contributed to this story.

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