Advertising
Supported by
Here are answers to five non-unusual questions.
Send a story to any friend.
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift pieces to offer per month. Anyone can read what you share.
By Melinda Wenner Moyer
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approved two COVID-19 vaccines for children 6 months and older and younger than five.
Millions of American parents, plus many of my friends with children under the age of five, folded their hands this week, hoping that vaccines would soon be available to more youth organizations. An advisory organization to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously Wednesday to propose that the firm authorize the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in very young children. On Friday and Saturday, C. D. C. se councillors met to discuss and voted yes unanimously.
After several delays in Pfizer’s vaccine review process, both vaccines are expected to be available early next week. Pfizer’s vaccine will cover children older than 6 months to four years, and the Moderna vaccine will cover children older than 6 months to five years.
Naturally, many parents of young children wonder about vaccines and planned implementation. I spoke to 3 pediatricians who specialize in infectious diseases to get answers.
The Moderna vaccine is legal in two doses separated by 4 weeks, Dr. Lisa S. Debbie-Ann Shirley, pediatric infectious disease physician at the University of Virginia. Pfizer is legal in series of 3 doses, with the first two injections separated by 3 weeks. and the third injection was given at least 8 weeks later. (Pfizer’s third vaccine is not a booster. Most likely, Moderna and Pfizer will eventually allow an additional booster dose for the young. )Both vaccines are in lower doses than the vaccines administered. to older youth and adults.
Preliminary data published by Moderna in April indicated that two injections were 51% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection in children older than 6 months to 1 year, and that two injections were 37% effective in preventing infection in children older than 2 to 5 years. Pfizer claimed that its 3-dose series was 80% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection in children older than 6 months to 4 years, but this estimate was based on infections in only 3 children.
Knowledge so far suggests that side effects in young children are milder than those in older children, likely because a lower dose of the vaccine is given, Dr. Brown said. Shirley. In children under the age of five, “the side effects were the kind of thing you’d expect in young people after getting a vaccine,” he added, adding increased agitation, drowsiness and pain at the injection site. When comparing the two vaccines, Pfizer’s resulted in fewer side effects overall, because it uses such a low dose.
No children in the vaccine trials developed core disorders such as myocarditis, a form of central inflammation that was noticed in a small number of older children who received the vaccine, Dr. Brown said. Shirley, but this may also be due to the fact that the trials were not large enough to stumble upon occasional side effects. There could be cases once vaccines are given to enough children, but experts don’t expect to see a significant number of them, as myocarditis “occurs more in adolescents and young adults than in young people,” said Dr. Ibukun Kalu, a pediatrician who specializes in infectious diseases at Duke University School of Medicine. “I wouldn’t expect higher rates of vaccine-related myocarditis in other people under the age of five,” he said. Dr. Kalu also noted that the risk of myocarditis is much higher in children who catch COVID-19 than in those who get vaccinated.
It’s vital to note that when the FDA didn’t authorize Pfizer’s two-dose vaccine in February, it was because it didn’t work well enough, not out of protection concerns (and in the end that’s why the vaccine now has a three-dose diet).
According to the CDC, young people who have recently had covid can get vaccinated as soon as they come out of isolation and feel better, Dr. Kalu said. But because “reinfection turns out to be rare after the first few months of recovery from a covid infection,” Dr. Brown added. Shirley, it’s not unreasonable to wait until 90 days after infection before vaccinating them.
Still, you may need to vaccinate them faster if cases arise in your community, if you travel to places with high levels of covid, or if your child is immunocompromised or has underlying risk factors, Dr. Brown said. Shirley. Si’re not sure what to do, “contacting a trusted physical care provider is a smart way to talk about some of those issues,” he added.
According to the CDC, young people can get COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines, in addition to flu shots, at the same time.
It is true that covid-19 is much less dangerous for children than for older people. But more than four four children under the age of four have died from COVID-19 since January 2020, and the infection is “one of the 10 most sensitive reasons for death in children in the United States,” Dr. Brown said. Yvonne Maldonado, specialist in pediatric infectious diseases. Stanford physician who chairs the Committee on Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In addition, covid-related hospitalization rates are higher for four-year-olds. years of age and younger than for older children, and more than a portion of pediatric hospitalizations in children older than six months to four years occur in children with no known underlying risk factors. “I’ve had several friends who are physical care providers whose young people ended up in the hospital, some on oxygen in intensive care, who have no threat factors,” Dr. Maldonado said.
“Vaccines are the most effective way we have as doctors to prevent patients from facing the severe bureaucracy of Covid,” said Dr. Lisa S. Shirley, and that includes young children.
Millions of other people who have already had the coronavirus are at risk of getting it again, and their immunity may not last as long as they would like. But good news: The timing and third infection will likely be shorter and less severe than the first, and you can take steps to lessen your threat of reinfection.
Read more:How long does immunity to Covid last?How can I prepare?
There are many things that can simply make you sleep during the summer months. One is sunlight-saving time, which exposes us to more sun at night and can affect our body’s sleep signals. Warmer weather can also make it difficult for our body to recover. a slow and restful sleep. But you can improve your sleep through undeniable methods, such as opening the curtains during the day, following a consistent sleep routine, and dimming the lights at night.
Read 😛 Why is my sleep so disturbed in summer?
Here are some other stories you may miss:
Catherine Pearson researches the reasons for the current tampon shortage and provides recommendations on what to do if you find yourself at a dead end. It also covers a new study that found that spending time with treatment dogs can particularly affect a child’s stress levels.
Gretchen Reynolds discusses a new one that looks at why some types of exercise make you hungry and others don’t.
Abby Ellin’s actions to support a loved one who has suicidal thoughts.
Dani Blum discusses the rare neurological disease, Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which causes pop star Justin Bieber’s facial paralysis.
Let’s go to the conversation. Write to me well_newsletter@nytimes. com.
Stay well!
Advertising