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What to Know About the COVID-19 Virus and Vaccination in Pennsylvania Children BY RACHEL HAHN, MPH CHESTER COUNTY IMMUNIZATION COALITION
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an children be infected with COVID-19 at the same rate as adults? What are the side effects of COVID-19 infection in children? Can they suffer from long-term COVID? Is the COVID-19 vaccine needed? These questions, along with many others, have been racing in parents’ minds since the start of the pandemic in 2020. With the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine FDA-approved for children ages five and older and the vaccine approval for children under age five on the horizon, the side effects of COVID-19 and its vaccination is a topic that deserves to be addressed and clarified for parents in Chester County. Circulating unscientific reports give the impression that the side effects of the vaccination are worse than the effects of being infected with the actual virus. These reports are often propagated through avenues such as social media. For example, a common misconception is that myocarditis, inflammation of the heart
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muscle, is a likely side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine when in reality, it is more likely to develop from a COVID-19 infection. According to CDC data updated on May 4, 2022, the overall risk of heart conditions after a COVID-19 infection is sixty-nine times higher than the first shot. Taking all ages, genders, and both vaccine doses into account, the risk of a heart issue after a COVID-19 infection was anywhere from 2 to 115 times higher when compared to vaccination.1 In the U.S., children under age 18 are contracting COVID-19 at the same rate as adults. As of April 28, 2022, almost 13 million children have tested positive for COVID-19.2 The symptoms of the COVID-19 virus are similar in both adults and children, as is the risk of developing long-term effects from the infection. While the symptoms of the disease in children are mild in most cases, the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine can be even milder and are shorter in duration.
