In order to fight the epidemic, many places in China have begun to vaccinate minors over the age of 3 against COVID-19.
The covid-19 vaccine is to give children an extra layer of protection against the new crown virus.
But many parents also have concerns:
Is the vaccine developed in such a short period of time safe for children to use?
Why adults before children?
What are the side effects of your child's vaccination?
I heard that children are mostly mild after infection, is it necessary to get vaccinated?
Today, on the issue of vaccinations for children, we will make it clear at once.
01
In COVID-19 vaccination, why do adults follow children first?
First of all, whether it is a vaccine or a drug, it can only be used by people who have been approved by the State Food and Drug Administration for indications. The indication population needs to be consistent with the population of subjects in clinical trials.
The new crown vaccine is a class of vaccines that serve the whole population, and in the process of arranging clinical trials, priority will be given to adults aged 18 to 59 for clinical trials, which is also a general choice, and then gradually expanded to the elderly over 60 years old and minors under 18 years old.
Vaccines can only be vaccinated on a large scale if they have undergone clinical trials to determine safety and efficacy, and the order of vaccination for ordinary people is also adults and then children.
02
Is it safe for my child to get the COVID-19 vaccine?
Data from previous trials proved that vaccinations in children were useful and safe.
At present, in China, there are 2 kinds of vaccines that children can get.
On June 3, 2021, China approved the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine "Kerraffol" of Kerring Biologics for emergency use in the 3-17 age group; on July 16, 2021, the inactivated vaccine for the new coronavirus in China National Pharmaceutical Group's China Bio-Beijing Institute of Biological Products was approved for emergency use in people aged 3-17 years.
Clinical trials of 3-17-year-old children and adolescents in China vaccinating Corlaifu have shown that vaccines can induce a strong humoral immune response in the body[1].
A double-blind clinical trial in the European Union showed that compared with people aged 16 to 25 years, adolescents aged 12 to 15 years had comparable antibody levels with similar side effects and 100 percent protective efficacy (the true rate may be between 75 and 100 percent) compared with people aged 16 to 25 years [2].
Sinopharm Beijing Bio's inactivated vaccine (BBIBP-CorV), which was safe and well tolerated at all test dose levels in participants aged 3 to 17 years, triggered a strong humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 infection after two doses[3].
These 3 experiments, the simple understanding is that after vaccinating children aged 3 to 17 years, they can effectively produce high-titer protective antibodies, and the vaccine has a good safety.
03
I heard that after the child is infected with the new crown virus, it is mostly mild, is it recommended to fight?
Get vaccinated and give your child a protective barrier.
First of all, children and adolescents are not absolutely safe to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and there is still a certain probability of contracting the new crown virus.
When children are infected with COVID-19, they may worsen into children's multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) and develop a multisystem disease involving the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, and gastrointestinal tract, which is dangerous and has an overall mortality rate of about 1% to 2% [4].
Secondly, although children are mostly mildly infected with the new crown virus, the more asymptomatic/mild the patient, the more important they play in the spread of the new crown virus.
04
Is the COVID-19 vaccine better or worse for children and adolescents than adults?
The result of the current data is that the results are better.
A clinical trial at Kerrafer found that giving 2 doses of the medium-dose vaccine according to the same immunization schedule had better immune responses in children and adolescents than adults aged 18 to 59 years and older adults aged 60 years and older.
The Modena vaccine also showed a better immune response than adults in adolescents aged 12 to 15 years [5].
05
How long does it take for my child to get vaccinated, and how long does it take between the 2 injections? Need a booster injection?
Children are vaccinated against COVID-19, with a recommended interval≥ of 3 weeks (i.e. 21 days) between doses, with the second dose being completed as early as possible within 8 weeks.
At present, there are no arrangements for children to be vaccinated and injected in China.
06
What conditions can my child not be vaccinated?
The situation in which children are not recommended to be vaccinated is basically similar to that of adults, and the following situations are not recommended for vaccination (see for details: Must see the new crown vaccine!). 150 vaccinated struggles and worries, all made clear):
If your child wants to get other vaccines, it is recommended to take 2 weeks away from the new crown vaccine, and if it is hepatitis B vaccine, rabies vaccine, tetanus vaccine, it is recommended to give priority to more urgent vaccines;
If the child is in an acute onset period, such as fever, cough, etc., the vaccination is suspended;
Hypersensitivity to the components of the vaccine, vaccination is not recommended;
Severe allergic reactions to vaccines have occurred in the past and vaccination is not recommended;
There are cases where the doctor does not recommend vaccination.
07
Which vaccine is best for your child?
The vaccines you can get are all good seedlings, don't choose, the one that enters the child's body is the best one.
At present, in our country, the vaccines that children can get are Kerraffle and BBIBP-CorV.
This is the situation of several vaccines that have been approved for marketing in China, and it can also be seen from this table that only the results of the trial of the Kerrafol and BBIBP-CorV vaccines against children have been published, and more vaccines need to be clinically tested to obtain sufficient data.
08
What protection do you need to do after your child has been vaccinated?
Vaccines are not 100% protective.
After your child has been vaccinated, they still need to take protective measures such as wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and maintaining social distancing.
09
Common diseases in children and can they be vaccinated?
Children with headaches and brain fever, fever and cough are very common, the following conditions, can be vaccinated:
Cold, no fever, disease control, can fight
Chickenpox, disease control, can be beaten
Allergic period attack, disease control, can play
Have asthma, control the disease, can fight
Eczema, not an acute onset /condition under control, can be beaten
Mischievous and can fight
Recently a little cough, cough controlled, can play
When the injection is always loud, it can be played
Eat bad things with diarrhea, do not control diarrhea symptoms, can fight
Frequent nosebleeds, can fight
10
Children are afraid of injections, how to trick them into getting vaccinated?
The injections didn't hurt at all.
(Source: soogif)
If your child is particularly afraid of needles, you can consider bringing your child's favorite toys, storybooks or cartoons to distract your child's attention; accompany your child, encourage your child, and give your child appropriate rewards.
11
After the vaccination, it is found that she is pregnant, can the child still have it?
Yes.
Don't worry, the vaccine won't hurt your baby in your belly, just do regular obstetric check-ups during pregnancy.
12
The new crown virus is constantly mutating, and does the current vaccine still have an effect on children?
Despite the constant mutation of the new crown virus, vaccines are still effective [9]. Even if the virus undergoes major mutations, we have enough R&D and production capacity to quickly update and produce a COVID-19 vaccine.
The most important thing now is that with regard to the new crown vaccine, everyone should do their best to achieve herd immunity as soon as possible and as soon as possible to block the spread of the new crown virus, give children an extra layer of protection, and reduce the risk of severe illness after unfortunate infection.
Review expert: Lu Xuexin
Assistant researcher and doctor of immunology at the Institute of Viral Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention
bibliography
[1] Han BH, SongYF, Li CG, et al. Safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac) in healthy children and adolescents: a double-blind, randomised, controlled, phase 1/2 clinical trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2021; Published online June 28, 2021.
[2]https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/first-covid-19-vaccine-approved-children-aged-12-15-eu
[3] Xia S, Zhang Y, Wang Y, et al. Safety and immunogenicity of an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, BBIBP-CorV, in people younger than 18 years: a randomised, double-blind, controlled, phase 1/2 trial [published online ahead of print, 2021 Sep 15]. Lancet Infect Dis. 2021; S1473-3099(21)00462-X.
[4] Zou XH, Cao B. COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than 12 years: are we ready? Lancet Infect Dis. 2021; Published online June 28, 2021.
[5] Frenck RW Jr, Klein NP, Kitchin N, et al. Safety, Immunogenicity, and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 Covid-19 Vaccine in Adolescents. N Engl J Med. 2021:NEJMoa2107456.
[6]https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/immunization/sage/2021/april/5_sage29apr2021_critical-evidence_sinovac.pdf
[7] Al Kaabi N, Zhang Y, Xia S, et al. Effect of 2 Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines on Symptomatic COVID-19 Infection in Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA. 2021: e218565.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2780562
[8]https://m.huanqiu.com/article/41qqSkFsMpb
[9]https://m.yicai.com/news/101258979.html
Editors: Zhang Xiaoyi, Zhang Guangyou, Ye Zhengxing
Typesetting: Han Ningning | Proofreader: Wu Yihe
Operations: Li Yongmin | Coordinator: Wu Wei