WE ASKED; EXPERTS

We Asked; Experts Answered

What’s the latest on vaccination for kids and teens?

By Anu Varma Panchal

The light at the end of the tunnel is here for many of us: Safe, effective vaccines to protect us from COVID-19 are free and widely available. For parents, two new vaccine and COVID-related developments have popped up to give us food for thought. One is that the Pfizer vaccine has been made available to everyone ages 12 and above. (Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are for those 18 and above only.) The second development is that the Hillsborough County School District will no longer offer e-learning as we experienced it in the 2020-2021 school year. Nor will masks be mandatory in the 2021-2022 school year. We asked Dr. Allison Messina, M.D., chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and pediatric infectious diseases specialist, to weight in on our vaccine questions.

TBP: What are the side effects of these vaccines on children? What can you tell parents who are worried their aftereffects are the same as COVID symptoms?

AM: The common side effects that children have after vaccination are virtually identical to the side effects seen in young adults. They include things like arm pain at the injection site, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, chills and fever. Generally, these symptoms are more common after the second dose of vaccine. In most cases, the symptoms are more annoying than serious. They typically do not last longer than one to two days.

TBP: What do you say to people who say they are not going to put these vaccines in their children’s bodies until they have a more long-term view of their aftereffects?

AM: I would ask them to consider that choosing not to vaccinate for COVID-19 is not a risk-free decision. What we have learned over the past year and a half is that there are many long-term aftereffects of COVID-19 disease as well, such as long COVID. Especially in children, a condition called Multi-System Inflammatory Disease related to COVID (MIS-C) can be very serious.

TBP: So many kids have food allergies. Is it still safe to get the vaccine, and should these be in a doctor’s office?

AM: Yes. Children with a history of food allergies should be given the vaccine in a setting equipped to handle an allergic reaction. They should be observed for at least 30 minutes after vaccine administration.

TBP: Is there any evidence of the vaccine affecting hormones or puberty in adolescents?

AM: No, there is not any evidence nor reason to believe that the vaccine would affect hormones in teens. TBP: Should kids still wear masks even two weeks after their second shot?

AM: The CDC has said that fully vaccinated people in general need not wear a mask to prevent them from getting COVID 19. However, even fully vaccinated people should wear a mask in settings where they will be in close contact with potentially unvaccinated people in close proximity for a long period of time, such as airplanes. Of course, anyone could wear a mask for any reason if they wish. We have all seen over the past 18 months that masks not only prevent the spread of SARS CoV 2, but other respiratory viruses as well, such as influenza.

TBP: Masks will now be optional in the next school year. What advice do you have for the age group that is still ineligible for the vaccine? Should they still wear masks? What advice do you have for teachers and administrators on how to manage classrooms in this situation?

AM: I would certainly advise unvaccinated people to continue wearing a mask in indoor settings with lots of other people, such as schools. I would ask teachers and administrators to strongly encourage mask wearing until everyone is vaccinated.

TBP: How likely is it that we will have to continue getting booster shots or annual vaccines?

AM: No one really knows the answer to that, but it is being actively studied by doctors and scientists. The people who participated in the original Phase 3 trials for all the licensed vaccines will continue to be studied for immune response for up to two years, so we will eventually have the data to make that call. Many experts believe that there may eventually be a need for a booster shot, but no one yet knows the timing.

TBP: As more people get vaccinated in our community, should we change our mask guidance among the under-12 crowd?

AM: I would continue to encourage the under 12 crowd to wear masks in public for now—until they can be fully vaccinated.

TBP: What does the timeline look like for kids 12 and below of getting vaccinated?

AM: I expect the next age groups that will be eligible will be the school-age children, roughly the 5 to 12-year-olds. It is possible that could happen by late fall, but it is anyone’s guess. Younger kids might have to wait until year’s end or maybe early 2022. But these are rough estimates.