What parents in Bremen should know about the corona vaccination for children

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Stand date: 4. June 2021.

:
Serena Bilanceri

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If the vaccination priority falls on Monday, children from the age of twelve could be vaccinated. A recommendation from the Standing Vaccination Commission is still pending. What does that mean?

A week ago, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the approval of the corona vaccine Comirnaty from the companies Biontech and Pfizer for children from the age of twelve in the European Union. Shortly afterwards, the EU Commission officially granted approval. But the German Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) is still struggling with a recommendation. At the federal level, however, politicians are already making plans to offer young people a vaccination by the end of August.

This poses a difficult question for many parents: to vaccinate or not? In Bremen too, opinions are divided. buten un binnen has summarized important questions and answers about the subject of corona vaccination for children.

Which children can be vaccinated from when?

“In theory, children from twelve onwards have been able to be vaccinated with Comirnaty since Monday,” says Stefan Trapp, state chairman of the Bremen Association of Pediatricians. However, the prioritization still applies at the moment. It will not be lifted nationwide until Monday. According to Trapp, it is very unlikely that parents will then get an appointment straight away. “We still have over-16s with previous illnesses on the waiting lists. They will then be vaccinated first,” said the doctor. In addition, deliveries with the Biontech vaccine are currently scarce. “We’re getting very little vaccine right now. We’re not getting all of what we ordered yet.”
An invitation of healthy children to the vaccination centers is currently not foreseeable. The Bremen health department announced: “In the vaccination center, children from the age of twelve will only receive a vaccination offer if a recommendation from the Standing Vaccination Commission is available.” Vaccinating children is currently a medical decision.

What vaccine is it about?

Only the vaccine Comirnaty from the pharmaceutical companies Biontech and Pfizer has so far received approval in the European Union. It’s the same vaccine that is used for the adults; Young people also receive two doses.
However, other vaccines are currently being tested on children, as the Bremen pharmacologist Bernd Mühlbauer explains. “Several vaccines that have already been approved are also in pediatric studies. As a rule, the adults are tested first and then the children – this is done in consultation with the regulatory authorities.” It cannot therefore be ruled out that further vaccines will be added in the future.

Are there any costs for the parents?

No, the parents do not have to pay anything for the corona vaccination even without a recommendation from Stiko. The corona vaccination is free of charge for the entire population.

Why has the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) not yet made a recommendation?

In a podcast from the NDR, the head of Stiko, Thomas Mertens, stated the current data situation as the main reason. “The number of children vaccinated in the study is simply too few to make a solid statement about safety in this age group,” he said. The study included approximately 1,100 vaccinated children who were monitored for a period of two months. Any long-term consequences could therefore not be recognized. The number of study participants is also too small to detect rare side effects. The Commission is therefore reluctant; a decision is not expected until the coming weeks.

The children are not offered liquorice candy, this is a medical procedure and it has to be indicated accordingly.

Thomas Mertens, chairman of Stiko
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The approval by the EMA and the recommendation of the Stiko are two different things. Mühlbauer explains that the EMA mainly tests the safety and effectiveness of the substance. “Whether it is justifiable to vaccinate with it, or whether there are observations that fail.” The Stiko, on the other hand, considers other aspects, including weighing the benefits and risks for the group for which it is to recommend the vaccination.

It is considered likely that the Stiko will make a recommendation for children with previous illnesses, as they are at a higher risk of a severe course of Covid. However, it has not yet been decided.

What are the risks of a corona vaccination for adolescents?

In principle, children after the age of twelve have similar side effects as young adults, says the Bremen virologist Andreas Dotzauer. However, one must take into account that the growth process is still going on with them – including in the immune system. According to the study by Biontech, the reactions of twelve to 15-year-olds were mostly mild to moderate; there were no thromboses or allergic shocks.
Some rare cases of myocarditis – an inflammation of the heart muscle – have occurred especially in young men between the ages of 16 and 19 in Israel and the United States after vaccination and need further investigation. A connection with the vaccination has so far neither been conclusively confirmed nor ruled out. Most of the time, the sick recovered quickly from it.
According to Mertens, one question that should also be clarified is whether vaccinations can contribute to later autoimmune reactions. This can only be definitively determined with longer observation times.

What are the risks of a Covid 19 infection for children?

Most Covid infections in healthy children are mild, the experts agree on that. “The younger you are, the easier it is,” says Trapp. Severe courses are very rare. With pre-existing conditions, however, the risk of serious consequences increases. The so-called PIM syndrome is a rare disease that has been observed in some children after the Covid infection. “It is a serious illness, but it is easy to treat. It is also rare,” said the pediatrician. Data is currently being collected about the so-called long covid. It appears to be a rare phenomenon, but the data are still very thin. Experts agree on this.

What are the advantages of vaccinating children?

Children who have certain pre-existing conditions are more at risk from Covid-19 than their peers. According to Dotzauer, a vaccination could also protect against possible long-term consequences of an infection. Children also take part in the infection process. “With almost the same viral load as adults, even if they hardly develop any symptoms,” says the virologist. With around 13 million people under the age of 18 in Germany, the question arises whether herd immunity can be achieved without vaccinating the children.
Trapp recommends healthy children to wait for the recommendation of the Stiko, in view of the low risks and the currently scarce vaccine. According to Dotzauer, children should be vaccinated, but the question arises whether “in view of the current data gaps – regarding dose, vaccination schedule and safety – this should be done now.” For Mühlbauer, the vaccination is “only justified if there is an increased risk of a severe course for the child or the people in the vicinity”.

Have children in other countries already been vaccinated?

In the United States, more than two million children between the ages of 12 and 15 have been vaccinated. In Canada, too, children from the age of twelve are vaccinated. Israel wants to start doing it soon. However, according to Mertens, there are still no reliable data or studies on the side effects. The only study is the one that Biontech and Pfizer submitted to the EU authority.

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This topic in the program:
buten un binnen, 27. Mai, 19:30 Uhr

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