Vaccinating 5-11 year olds

[TheFarseer]

I’m sorry I have to ask this. However, I get family members and coworkers constantly asking me, “You’re not going to vaccinate your kids are you? Because I wouldn’t!” These are mostly people that have gotten the vaccination for themselves. I have been holding off getting my 5 and 7 year old vaccinated just to be sure there were no problems. Let me ask the crowd in all sincerity: Is there any legit reason to not get my little people vaxxed? Thank you all!

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. No.

[Tetrachloride]

2. every day, the urgency grows

[Walleye]

3. The new variant is getting children sick. The vaccine is not

[TheFarseer]

10. Yes, the Omnicron is why

I want to make a decision now and not wait anymore.

[Walleye]

11. I hope the holidays are great for you. I feel a lot better being vaccinated and boosted

I can understand why you are cautious. So not having children myself I probably shouldn’t give advice

[MustLoveBeagles]

23. Get your kids vaccinated as soon as you can

[Dorian Gray]

26. Do you have a relationship with her pediatrician

so you can call her or him to ask these questions? I think so many of us have read a lot and are quite knowledgable, but we don't know you or your child personally, and having a medical professional who does know you both may go a long way to making you feel comfortable with your choices.

I definitely feel like the benefits outweigh the non benefits, and one of the side benefits that isn't talked about is that it changes the quarantine calculus when you've had exposure. (I forgot to put that in my other column.) It will be less disruptive to everybody's life and schooling.

But I can talk about the benefits until I'm blue in the face. Finding someone you trust to talk you through the decision will be so much better for you.

[JT45242]

4. none

The vaccination is safe. So there is no reason not to get vaxxed.

You can think about it like the rubella vaccine. If your kid was to get rubella, it would not be a big deal. But if they were to get rubella and be around someone who is pregnant -- it could be catastophic for the other person and their future baby.

Plus, we have no idea what the long term effects of covid might be for anyone -- including they young. So, the vaccine could prevent them from long term problems that we do not know yet.

So, get your kid vaccinated. I got my 15 year old vaccinated the first week he was eligible (as soon as we could get an appointment that fit).

[Lars39]

5. Well over a million kids have been vaccinated so far.

Waiting to get them vaccinated just increases the odds your kids will get covid.

[frazzled]

6. My 5 and 7 year-old granddaughters got vaccinated

No problems whatsoever. The other three granddaughters are too young, but hopefully are somewhat protected by their elders being vaccinated and not bringing it home from school or work.

[mcar]

7. Have they been vaxxed for everything else?

[Raftergirl]

8. No.

Everyone I know with children those ages have had the, vaccinated.


TBS, call your pediatrician and ask him.

[PTWB]

9. Every day you wait is a day you're gambling with their health and well-being.

[hlthe2b]

12. I'd hate to see you suffer the kind of regrets you don't get over-- for not doing so...

On a related score, I've had three pregnant women who refused over the past two years. All three contracted COVID-19. One was fine and had a healthy delivery. One miscarried, was hospitalized on a vent for 30 days, (but recovered with long effects and a lot of guilt) and one of the women died of COVID after an emergency C-section. The child has thus far survived but has been in the NICU for more than two months.


The vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. The virus is overwhelmingly NOT.

May you be at peace with your decision, but I sincerely hope that science wins out.

[TheFarseer]

13. Doing my own research

And I know that’s a loaded phrase! But I have found two concerns: kids can accidentally get the adult dose. This has happened some but it doesn’t seem to affect the kids anymore than feeling icky like some of us do after getting vaxxed.

I have seen the issue of myocarditis and have seen some claims that it has caused fatalities. However, digging further, it seems these claims are anywhere from dubious to totally made up. Furthermore, it is more likely to get myocarditis from actual Covid than the vaccine. I pretty much had my mind made up they were getting vaxxed but wanted to see if anyone had any new information because it hasn’t been available to kids for very long. Only about 25% of kids in my county have even one dose.

[hlthe2b]

15. Myocarditis in adolescents is EXTREMELY RARE and they recover well.

As for dose concerns, the clinical trials in 5-11 YO included a trial arm that had kids get the full dose. It is not that they can't handle a full dose, but rather with their young healthy immune system, they DON'T NEED a full dose. This is not an uncommon phenomenon in childhood vaccines. Did you get your flu shot? Those over 65 years of age get a much HIGHER dose than younger adults because they don't respond well. This is not an unexpected phenomenon. If you remain concerned simply ask the provider administering the vaccine to your child to reassure yourself.

As to the myocarditis issue, the latest (Dec 6, 2021 from Pediatric Cardiology in the journal, CIRCULATION), the following summarizes :

Symptoms of vaccine-related myocarditis in young people rare, mild, resolve quickly:

https://www.healio.com/news/cardiology/20211206/symptoms-of-vaccinerelated-myocarditis-in-young-people-rare-mild-resolve-quickly?utm_source=selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news&M_BT=3588961209244

[TheFarseer]

20. Thanks! I didn't know some of that. nt

[Dorian Gray]

27. It looks like you're looking into your concerns quite well.....

Re: myocarditis, I found this article to be helpful.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-benefits-of-vaccinating-kids-against-covid-far-outweigh-the-risks-of-myocarditis1/

"Here is what scientists know: Vaccine-related myocarditis is extremely rare; estimates vary, but the highest figures suggest there have been fewer than 200 cases per million fully vaccinated males ages 12–15, the youngest age group for which such data currently exist. Only about 30 cases per million have been reported in vaccinated females of that age. Pfizer, whose mRNA vaccine was recently authorized for use in five- to 11-year olds, says it did not observe any myocarditis cases in its clinical trial for the latter age group (it would be nearly impossible to design a trial large enough to detect such a rare effect). Scientists expect it to be even rarer in 5–11-year-old kids compared with teens, because myocarditis from any cause is less common in the younger age group. The vaccine dose authorized for that group is lower, as well."

[rurallib]

14. My grandson is fully vaxxed (both shots) - best damn Christmas present I could get

Not saying he won't get sick, but if he does hopefully it will be mild with no "long covid" effects.

No sir, I would not gamble even a day on getting those shots.

[Caliman73]

16. Not that I am aware of.

The problem with the "democratization of information" is that people can get their information from anywhere and nowhere. People have heard from a friend who heard from a friend that the vaccination caused "such and such".

The only reason that I would wait is if my children had allergic reactions to the compounds in a vaccine before, then I would speak to my child's doctor about the ingredients in the COVID-19 Vaccine from Pfizer, which is the one available for children.

[frogmarch]

17. My 6-yr-old great-grandson Jack

is vaccinated (no adverse reaction) and his sister, my great-granddaughter Lila will be when she turns 5 in January. We'll all be happy when every last one of us is vaxxed.

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[BlackSkimmer]

18. Have you had them vaccinated for measles, etc.?

How do you feel about tetanus shots?

[TheFarseer]

21. No way

I'm not letting Bill Gates microchip my kids!

[Johonny]

19. I did my 5 year old

No problems. I only wish my 3 year old could get it.

[Ms. Toad]

22. Omicron is apparently putting a disproportionate number of thos under 5 in the hospital in SA.

The “highly transmissible” Omicron variant of coronavirus ripping through South Africa is putting disproportionately large numbers of children under 5 years old in hospitals, a top South African government medical adviser said Friday.

. . .

We’ve seen quite a sharp increase [in hospital admissions] across all age groups but particularly in the under 5s.”

. . .

She added: “The incidence in those under 5 is now second highest, second only to those over 60. The trend that we’re seeing now, that is different to what we’ve seen before, is a particular increase in hospital admissions in children under 5 years

https://www.thedailybeast.com/omicron-variant-puttings-huge-numbers-of-kids-under-5-years-old-in-hospital-in-south-africa

More reason than ever to vaccinate the wee ones.

[Mariana]

24. What does their pediatrician or family doctor say about it?

That's who you should be asking, not randos on the internet.

[TheFarseer]

28. Mostly co-workers and family members

not randos on the internet.

[Dorian Gray]

25. There may be legitimate reasons

to your specific circumstances.

However, I got my 11 year old vaccinated day one. She had second dose Nov. 26th. I didn't hesitate, she handled it well, as she had all prior vaccines.

Was I nervous? Of course. I'm her mom. I lose sleep about 8 million things a year with her. But I did it for two reasons: a) I'm more fearful about long term effects of covid than I am of the vaccine, and b) We are a part of a community and I want to make sure we do our part to make people in our lives safe.

Those two reasons and the fact that she is quite healthy and handles vaccines really well led me to believe this is the right choice for her.

There are also know known cases of myocarditis in the 5-11 age group yet, and millions of vaccines have been given. Most of the cases that have concerned researchers are post-puberty.