COVID-19 Vaccines for Children. What are the Risks?

All vaccines undergo rigorous safety tests before receiving approval for use in the general population. However, no drug is guaranteed to be free from side effects and risks. So, what are the side effects that children receiving the COVID-19 vaccine may present? 

The FDA approved the Pfizer vaccine for children from 5-11 years on October 29, 2021. And according to a survey by KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor, just over one-quarter of parents of children in this age group are eager for their child to be vaccinated. Mainly due to their fear of side effects. 

Two-thirds of the parents of children in this age range said that they were worried that the vaccine would affect their children’s future fertility. Vaccine hesitancy is not just over fears of an impact on fertility, however. Over three-quarters of parents reported that they were very or somewhat concerned that their child might experience serious side effects or that not enough is known about long term effects from the COVID-19 vaccine. 

What are children going to get? 

The University College London in the United Kingdom, said: 

“There have been a number of trials. We are always concerned about the untoward effect of all medicines in children, and, of course, we can’t just extrapolate from data that [come] from adults to children. We have got to wait to ensure there is safety in children. And now that has happened.”

So far, mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have received approval in the U.S. for children over 12 years of age, with the Pfizer vaccine approved for 5–12-year-olds at the end of October 2021.

However, the vaccine doses given to children over the age of 12 years and those under the age of 12 years differ. Pfizer released data from its phase 2 and 3 trials at the end of September 2021. The data suggest that the vaccine was safe in children aged 5–11 years.

Children under the age of 12 years will be offered 10 micrograms (mcg) of the vaccine. This is compared with 30 mcg of the vaccine, which is the amount given to children over the age of 12 years and adults. Experts hope that this lower dose could result in fewer side effects, as lower doses generally should.

Adverse Reactions are minor

The vice president of Pfizer Vaccine Clinical Research and Development, Dr. Bill Gruber revealed that there were very few serious adverse events and no deaths during the phase 2 and 3 trials of children aged 5-12 years. He also explained that the side effects were similar to those that adults experience. 

However, the vaccine doses given to children over the age of 12 years and those under the age of 12 years differ. Pfizer released data from its phase 2 and 3 trials at the end of September 2021. The data suggest that the vaccine was safe in children aged 5–11 years.

Children under the age of 12 years will be offered 10 micrograms (mcg) of the vaccine. This is compared with 30 mcg of the vaccine, which is the amount given to children over the age of 12 years and adults. Experts hope that this lower dose could result in fewer side effects, as lower doses generally should.

Due to existing concerns about the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis among adolescent and young adult males, the scientists took specific precautions during this trial, Dr. Gruber explained to the committee.

Myocarditis

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and others are currently monitoring rates of myocarditis, which is inflammation of the heart muscle. This comes following reports in July 2021 that some teenage boys had received diagnoses of this condition after receiving the Pfizer vaccine, which those over 12 years of age have been able to receive since May 2021.

The CDCTrusted Source reports that males aged 12–29 years are most at risk of developing myocarditis.

It also states that although 687 cases of myocarditis following vaccination had been reported in under-30s in the U.S. between December 29, 2020, and June 11, 2021, healthcare professionals had given more than 52 million doses of the vaccine to people aged 12–30 years in total. So, this represents a very small risk.

When evaluating the risks of possible side effects it is impossible to do so without considering the possible benefits, though these may be hard to discern for the individual.

An analysis that appeared in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine on November 1, 2021, suggests that the vaccination of 12–17-year-olds is most beneficial while infection rates remain high — which, of course, they do in many parts of the world.

The analysis suggests that if SARS-CoV-2 infections are as high as 1,000 per 100,000 people per week over 16 weeks, vaccination could avert 4,430 hospital admissions and 36 deaths over 16 weeks. It also suggests that thousands of cases of long COVID could be avoided, even if the rate of long COVID was as low as 4% in teenagers.

Sources: 

Hannah Flynn, MS. COVID-19 vaccines for children: What are the side effects? Medical News Today. Retrieved from:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/covid-19-vaccines-for-children-what-are-the-side-effects

Image from: 

https://espanol.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/children-teens.html