Vaccination for children aged 15-18 years is underway and most of us might have already taken at least one dose of Covaxin (the only vaccine approved for this age group). The news coming out from the government is that they will soon extend this eligibility to the 12+ age group as well. It's only natural that all parents would want to gain maximum knowledge about the subject before taking the call to vaccinate their child. This is a simple write up that I hope would help you to reach a sensible decision.
1. The first question on everyone's mind is whether the vaccine is safe for their child.
The simple answer to this is, Yes! The extended answer is that all vaccines go through a rigirous safety analysis before it can be released for the general population. Covaxin has already proven safe even in adults and the company has submitted enough data for use in children aged 12+ that gives us no reason to believe that it is unsafe for our children.
2. If the disease in children produces only mild symptoms, do we really need to vaccinate the children?
I guess this narative is more from the current wave of a milder mutation of the virus than plain facts. Sure, most children seem to have rather mild symptoms, however, there are enough and more children who have had a rather serious infection with a long drawn hospital stay along with some complications to boot. This only goes to show that this virus is mostly dependent on the immune response the body is able to mount at the time of infection. Children that have co-morbidities in terms of juvenile diabetes, immunocompromised states, obestiy, kidney disease or chronic diseases are at a higher risk for complicated disease and should receive the vaccine for their protection.
Multisystem Inflammatory Disease Syndrome (MISC) is a rare but life threatening complication of Covid-19 that may still occur in unvaccinated children as was seen in the initial days of the disease and the vaccine clearly prevents such an outcome.
Children are proven spreaders of the virus and this transmission can be cut down once they are vaccinated as the viral load and the live virus transmission chain will break. This is simple to understand because the virus is eliminated from the body at a quicker pace than would be in an unvaccinated individual. Since the children remain the only segment of population that are unvaccinated, it only makes sense that once they do receive the vaccine, the transmitability reduces and the pandemic would change into an endemic form and die out.
To reiterate, it is more important to vaccinate immunocompromised children rather than think about how the vaccine could cause something to go wrong because the child's immunity is low.
3. What precautions should be taken?
No vaccines should be taken if the child is ill, has a fever or any infection or is currently on any medication for a particular infection or allergy (short term).
If you do decide to take the vaccine, please remember to continue Covid appropriate behaviour like masking, not touching your hand to your nose or mouth and covering up when you cough or sneeze. Remember, the vaccine does not guarantee that you won't get infected, it only guarantees that the infection would be mild or even symptom free. Hand hygiene and social distancing is paramount in preventing the infection.
4. Are there any side effects to the vaccine?
The side effects with Covaxin continue to be similar to those observed with other vaccinations as well. Some arm soreness, a mild fever that lasts 24-48 hours, some bodyache and fatigue may be experienced. The symptoms can be easily controlled with paracetamol. Allergic reactions are quite rare and can be easily managed by your Doctor.
5. What the story on the expiry dates of vaccines?
There was a large discussion on the expired vials of Covaxin and their extension granted by the Government. The initial stringent approvals of a 6 month shelf life was given at the emergency use level but this can be extended after real time data is shared about the stability and shelf life of the vaccine. This extension was initially given for 3 months and then extended upto a full year. Rest assured, none of the vaccines injected during that period would have lost their efficacy. The new batches of vaccines are already out and by the time you decide to vaccinate your child, you would have a new expiry date on the vials anyway.
6. Does it really make a difference?
Right at the end, if there is still a doubt in your mind, look at the bigger picture. You are not vaccinating your child only for the child but for everyone the child comes into contact with, this could be the elders in the family, people not allowed to vaccinate, people who can't receive the vaccination due to their physical state or just those that were too scared to take it.
If we ever want this pandemic to end, we all need to play a collective part in establishing herd immunity so that the virus is forced to mutate to a weaker strain that will then fade away or remain as the common cold / flu virus is currently in existence.
For those looking at vaccinations, feel free to contact me for your requirements or even if you need to discuss this further or have any questions that you need answered.
