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Vaccination

Pediatricians Prepare for Vaccination of Children Ages 5 to 11 Against COVID-19

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

As the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prepares to greenlight the vaccination of children ages 5 to 11 against COVID-19, pediatricians and parents are eagerly awaiting shipments of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. The vaccine, which has already been authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use in children, will be administered in two doses, three weeks apart, and will be available to all 28 million children in this age group.

Key Takeaways:

  • The FDA has authorized the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use in children ages 5 to 11, with two doses administered three weeks apart.
  • Pediatricians' offices are preparing to administer the vaccine, but are waiting for the CDC's recommendation and for shipments of the vaccine to arrive.
  • The Biden administration has secured enough vaccine supply to vaccinate all 28 million children in this age group and will help equip pediatric and primary care offices, community health centers, and rural health clinics to administer the shots.
  • The vaccine is reformulated at one-third the dose used in adults and re-packaged with a new orange top to prevent mistaking it for the adult vaccine.
  • Parents are divided on getting their children vaccinated, with some eager to do so and others hesitant due to concerns about side effects and fertility.
  • Most parents' primary concerns are: what are the side effects, will the vaccine impact fertility, and when can their child get vaccinated.
  • Pediatricians such as Dr. Ilan Shapiro and Dr. Christina Johns are reassuring parents that the vaccine is safe and effective, and that the most common side effects are mild to moderate and occur within two days after vaccination.
  • Dr. Shapiro hopes that children get vaccinated quickly to avoid a serious surge in COVID-19 cases this winter.

Statistics:

  • The FDA studied the safety of the vaccine in about 3,100 children ages 5 to 11 who received the vaccine.
  • No serious side effects were detected in the ongoing study.
  • The most commonly reported side effects were sore arm, redness and swelling, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, chills, fever, swollen lymph nodes, nausea, and decreased appetite.
  • Side effects were generally mild to moderate and occurred within two days after vaccination, and most went away within one to two days.
  • More children reported side effects after the second dose than after the first dose.
  • According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 27% of parents surveyed say they are eager to vaccinate their children as soon as a vaccine becomes available, while 30% say they will definitely not get the vaccine for their 5-11-year-olds.
  • 76% of those surveyed were "very" or "somewhat" concerned about long-term side effects, while 71% worried about serious side effects.
  • 66% of people surveyed said they were "very" or "somewhat" concerned that the vaccine may negatively impact their child's future fertility.

Sources:

  • "FDA Authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use in Children Ages 5 to 11", Pfizer (not dated)
  • "Pfizer to begin shipping pediatric doses of COVID-19 vaccine", CNN, (not dated)
  • "US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention", CDC, (not dated)
  • "Kaiser Family Foundation Survey on COVID-19 and Vaccine", Kaiser Family Foundation, (not dated)
  • "The Mount Sinai Hospital", Mount Sinai, (not dated)

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