- Often protects against serious turnover
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When children get corona, the disease is often a lot milder than in adults. Often it is comparable to a cold, in many cases there is even nothing to notice. However, children can also end up in the hospital after an infection. Vaccination reduces the risk of serious corona complaints by 90 percent in children aged 5 to 11 years.
- May limit the spread of omikron
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Vaccinating children can help limit the omikron wave. This can lead to fewer hospital admissions and fewer school dropouts. Family members and vulnerable persons in the child’s environment are also better protected.
The RIVM estimates that the chance of infection is about two thirds lower in the first months after vaccination. As in adults, protection against infection is expected to decrease over time.
“If it doesn’t help, then it doesn’t hurt,” concludes Sanders about the benefits. “By vaccinating you can prevent MIS-C. You limit hospitalization by 90 percent and can better protect family members. The side effects are also short.”
The disadvantages of vaccination
Children receive a modified, lower dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Like adults, they get two shots.
According to the Health Council, the side effects are mild to moderate and are seen more often after the second dose, just like in adults. Most of these are pain at the puncture site (74 percent reported), fever (7 percent), fatigue (39 percent) and headache (28 percent).
A very rare side effect is myocarditis. That is an inflammation of the heart muscle. The Health Council considers the risk of this to be very small, smaller than the risk of MIS-C. Internationally, no cases of myocarditis have been detected after vaccination in children aged 5 to 11, says the Health Council. Millions of children from that age group have already been vaccinated in the US, Canada and Israel.
As with adults, little is known about the long-term effects of vaccination. “If there are consequences, you will see that in the first weeks after vaccination,” says Sanders of the RIVM. “We will continue to monitor it, but historically nothing is known about long-term side effects of other vaccines.” It is therefore now also expected that these long-term side effects will not occur.
- Direct benefit to child is limited
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It is estimated that one-third to two-thirds of all children up to the age of 11 have now had corona. Because of this, they have already built up some immunity. If a child has already endured corona and has not experienced any major adverse effects from it, the chance of serious side effects is very small. For example, MIS-C has so far only been observed in children who get corona for the first time.
“The chance of serious complaints from corona in a child is also small. MIS-C is rare and hospital admissions are also limited. There is also a chance that a child will become infected again after vaccination,” Sanders sums up.
Moreover, a vaccination will not help tomorrow. If a child is vaccinated, it will take another two weeks before the vaccine is fully effective. As a result, a vaccination does not immediately contribute to curbing the current omikron wave.
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