K I D S Ñ H e a lt h
What’s the biggest difference in my kid’s COVID vaccine?
reason, continue with their normal regimen. Otherwise, hold off until after symptoms (if any) appear. It’s not known if giving these medicines beforehand might affect the body’s response to the vaccine, Dr. Shu says.
My kid already had COVID. Doesn’t that mean they’re immune? No, people can get COVID after they’ve already had it. According to a CDC study, people who’ve had COVID and were unvaccinated were more than twice as likely to get reinfected compared with someone who was fully vaccinated after initially contracting the virus. Although a previous infection may offer some protection, experts aren’t sure how long it lasts. Furthermore, if your child has had COVID, getting them vaccinated should give them an added immunity boost. A small study published in JAMA Network Open found that people who had a previous COVID infection and got vaccinated had higher levels of antibodies than someone who was vaccinated and never had COVID. My 5-year-old is small for their age. How do we know this dose is safe for them? Vaccines are usually given based on the age of a child, not weight—even for all the other vaccines your child has taken over the years, says Dr. Maldonado. So yes, the vaccine is safe even if your child is on the smaller (or larger) size for their age. My child is 11. Should I wait until they turn 12 and get the adult dose? No, don’t wait. Get your child the age-appropriate vaccine as soon as possible. “With vaccines, it’s a balance between immune response and adverse reaction,” Dr. Milstone says. “You want to give enough to generate a good robust immune response but not so much that you have more or stronger symptoms after vaccination,” he explains. Kids age 11 respond very well to the lower dose, so there’s no reason to delay
PA R E N T S
46 J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y
2022
