COVID-19 and Kids: What You Need to Know
December 2, 2021 11:12 am
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ebb and flow across the country, it’s more important than ever for parents to know the facts about the virus. Whether your child is 8 months or 18 years old, he or she is at risk for COVID-19. Kids and COVID-19 can be a dangerous combination, especially if they are too young for the vaccine.
COVID-19 Can Make Kids Sick
At the beginning of the pandemic, misinformation was shared that COVID-19 couldn’t really hurt children and even that kids weren’t able to contract the virus. In truth, many children have experienced long-term complications, including breathing problems and issues like brain fog.
COVID-19 has also caused a condition called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in children who had no or mild symptoms of coronavirus. MIS-C causes inflammation in the organs in the body and, if not treated promptly, can be deadly. So can COVID-19 on its own—hundreds of children have died from the disease across the country.
Children can also spread COVID-19 to other people. If your friends or family members have not been vaccinated, a child with asymptomatic COVID-19 can give them the virus and make them sick.
Vaccines Are Safe, Effective and Free
The Pfizer vaccine to prevent COVID-19 has now been approved for children 5 and older. Children ages 5 to 11 receive a smaller dose, and kids 12 and older receive the same dose as adults. As with the adult version, the child’s vaccine requires two shots, three weeks apart. The other two vaccines, manufactured by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, are not yet approved for children under age 18.
In response to a study that showed a very slight risk of heart inflammation, called myocarditis, in children after receiving a vaccine, the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and numerous other physician groups issued a statement stressing the safety of the vaccine.
“The risks to the heart from COVID-19 infection can be more severe,” read the statement, in part. “The vaccines are safe and effective, and they prevent COVID-19 illness.”
Comprehensive research has also found that people who have gotten the vaccine are still getting pregnant at normal rates with only the typical set of pregnancy complications. In fact, pregnant women (including teenagers) who have not been vaccinated and contract COVID-19 are far more likely to experience complications such as preterm birth.
Talk to Your Pediatrician
If you have questions about how the vaccine works and whether it could impact certain health conditions that your child has, your Magnolia Regional Health Center pediatrician is available to discuss your concerns and explain the science behind the vaccine. Don’t let your child get sick from a preventable disease. Schedule your immunization today.
Talk to a MRHC pediatrician today about the risks of COVID-19 in your children and make an appointment to discuss the vaccine.
COVID-19Categorized in: NewsCategorized in: Pediatrics
This post was written by Magnolia Regional Health Center
