Should children be vaccinated? Will it cause myocarditis?
Taiwan officially opened vaccinations for children on May 2, with Moderna being the priority brand. In view of the slightly higher proportion of side effects of Moderna and the scarcity of relevant data on children’s vaccinations in the past, many parents are worried about whether their children will suffer serious complications after being vaccinated, which will affect their daily routine and academic performance.
In this regard, Commander Chen Shizhong pointed out that after careful consideration, parents can contact the school to adjust the administrative procedures and withdraw the vaccination consent form at any time. However, this move may affect the pre-preparation of medical staff, and we call on the school to inform the school before making a decision.
Do childhood vaccines cause “myocarditis”? US: Young and middle-aged men are at higher risk
Will the current Moderna children’s vaccine and the Pfizer BNT children’s vaccine that will arrive in Taiwan in mid-May have any impact on children’s health? Is there a risk of “myocarditis” that parents are worried about?
According to U.S. CDC statistics, as of December 19, 2021, 8,674,378 children aged 5-11 years have been vaccinated with BNT booster vaccine, of which 12 children have suffered from myocarditis; 13 of 976,882 young people aged 16-24 years have been vaccinated. A case of myocarditis shows that the majority of people suffering from myocarditis are young adults.
The U.S. CDC points out that people diagnosed with COVID-19 are much more likely to develop myocarditis than those who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. At the same time, a study published in “JAMA Network” also pointed out that adolescent males (12-18 years old) and young males (18-24 years old) who received the second dose of the mRNA vaccine had the highest incidence rate of myocarditis.
Generally speaking, based on the current data, the risk of myocarditis caused by childhood vaccines is very low, even lower than that of young adults. However, because the mRNA vaccine is a new type of vaccine, the impact on health several years or longer after vaccination remains to be seen.
How effective are childhood vaccines? Antibody concentration increases but it is difficult to prevent O virus?
In fact, Moderna submitted an emergency authorization to the US FDA as early as March 28, providing the results of the third dose public trial: among 6,900 children, the anti-infectious efficacy for children aged 2 years old was 43.7%, and for children aged 2-6 years old, it was 43.7%. 37.5%. Pfizer applied for authorization on April 27 and stated that 6 months after the second dose of the vaccine, the concentration of antibodies against the original strain of the new coronavirus in the third dose increased sixfold in children aged 5 to 11 years.
Research published in the “American Academy of Pediatrics” also confirmed that one-third of children vaccinated developed infection-related antibodies, and 96% of children still retained antibodies 6 months later. The effectiveness of the vaccine seems to be remarkable, but what worries experts is that children’s vaccines can only provide anti-infection protection against the “original strain”. However, the Omicron mutant strain’s strong contagion and high variability may make children’s vaccines less protective and prone to " “Breakthrough infection”.
“Adult vaccines have a tendency to weaken the antibody concentration of Omicron, and the same phenomenon may also occur with children’s vaccines.” Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at the University of Toronto in Canada, said that preventing new coronavirus infection is indeed a necessary measure, but as for the two current mRNA As for vaccines, there may be deficiencies such as lower anti-infection efficacy than expected and insufficient neutralizing antibodies. The development of next-generation vaccines is awaited.
The US CDC emphasizes that both the Pfizer and BNT vaccines can effectively prevent the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death in children infected with the new coronavirus. It is recommended that parents still get their children vaccinated as soon as possible.
source:
Pfizer says booster in children 5-11 raises antibodies against omicron
Comparison of Seroconversion in Children and Adults With Mild COVID-19
Durability of SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies From Natural Infection in Children and Adolescents
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