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Friday, November 19, 2021
Approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged five to 11 is expected soon in Canada. What do parents need to know? Kelly Grindrod, a pharmacist and professor, and Dr. Andrea Chittle, a primary care physician and Master of Public Health student, provide answers and educational resources.
What are the risks of COVID-19 infection in children?
COVID-19 infection can cause serious illness and death in any child. COVID-19 can cause inflammation of the heart (myocarditis) and the sac around the heart (pericarditis). Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) is most common in children aged five to 11.
We are still learning about Long COVID. In early studies, one to four out of every 100 children with a COVID-19 infection had lasting symptoms (1% to 4%). Symptoms include tiredness, headache, sore throat, and loss of smell. Children can get Long COVID even after a mild illness.
What are the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination for children?
Most people will be exposed to COVID-19 in the next year. Unvaccinated people are much more likely to get COVID-19. In vaccine trials, children had a strong immune system response to the Pfizer vaccine. Children who got two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine had a 91% lower chance of getting sick with COVID-19. The Pfizer vaccine protects children from getting sick with the Delta variant.
Read the full Q and A on the Waterloo News website.