Vax to school time!

As you probably already know, COVID-19 vaccines are currently approved for those aged 12 and older. It is unclear as to the exact timeline for approval for any vaccine for younger children. With back-to-school start dates just around the corner, if you haven’t already, now is the time to get your child 12 years and older vaccinated to ensure they are protected and can help protect others. We are all hoping to have a much more normal school year and with the surge of the Delta variant of COVID-19 already happening, we need to arm ourselves from every possible angle to help make that happen. For those who still have questions about the COVID-19, I hope this updated information, centered around the questions we’ve heard from parents, is helpful to you. Q: I’ve heard that COVID-19 is very rarely serious for children. Why should my child get the COVID-19 Vaccine? A: Children have been fairly fortunate when it comes to the novel SARS-CoV-2 otherwise known as COVID-19, but this is not a reason to let our guards down, relax or rest easy when it comes to kids. There are cases of devastating losses from COVID-19 in children, both from the acute illness and from the complications afterwards. In the office, I have shared with parents countless times that it usually isn’t the actual illness that I fear for children, but the unknowns about having COVID-19 that concern me – meaning long-term complications such as lung problems, possible blood clots or vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels throughout the body) or the process called MIS-C (multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children) which is quite serious. MIS-C can be deadly or have long-term heart complications. We are entering a new phase of the pandemic. What we knew about the first few surges of COVID-19 are not the same with the Delta variant and there seems to be a lot of unknowns still. Most of us did well with social distancing and masking before, but the restrictions have lightened, people have relaxed, and now we are dealing with a variant that is far more contagious. The vaccine does have breakthrough cases, about 0.01%. These cases are rare and tend to be more mild, similar to what we see with breakthrough cases of those with the influenza vaccine. Q: What common side effects might my child have from the vaccine? A: Some people experience more symptoms than others and some people experience no symptoms at all. Typical side effects for kids are expected to be similar to those of adults and would include a sore arm, fever, fatigue, chills, headache or nausea. As the vaccine trials continue and are concluded for younger children, we will know if there are any other expected side effects. I always remind people that children are resilient and tend to handle discomfort and symptoms way better than we do as adults! Q: What about the serious heart concern or myocarditis that can come from the vaccine? A: It is true there is a known serious, but extremely rare – far less than 0.01%, side effect or complication from the vaccine. The myocarditis from the vaccine is minor or rare compared to cardiac effects seen with the actual COVID-19 virus when those occurs. The vaccine-related myocarditis is treatable and most feel better quickly with treatment and rest. Understandably, any parent would feel horrible if their child suffered a major complication from a vaccine. Similarly, it would weigh heavy on a parent’s mind if their child was to have a worse outcome from a COVID-19 infection that may have been prevented or lessened by a vaccine that they chose to forgo. Q: How do you know the vaccine is safe for kids? A: Anytime there is a “new” vaccine, there is always some hesitation as many feel they can’t take their decision back. I have been reassuring parents all along that the science behind this vaccine is not new and has been studied for decades with uses in other fields such as cancer treatment. There are potential risks with the vaccine, or with any vaccine, but I would rather take the risks that I know with the vaccine versus the risks that I don’t know with the virus – especially as it mutates. Q: I’ve heard that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could change my DNA, and that could be even worse for kids. Is that true? A: It is not possible for the vaccine to change your or your child’s DNA. Think of the mRNA as a ticket for the vaccine to get to the immune cells to fight infection. The vaccine rides the mRNA into the immune cell but there are different “compartments.” Once inside the cell, the vaccine starts doing the job it is there to do and makes the protein markers to identify itself as “an invader” so that the body can react by making antibodies to it. The mRNA vaccine component then breaks down because it can’t do anything else and it can’t enter any other compartments of the cells – and those other compartments are where your genetic DNA reside. Therefore, there is no way your DNA can be altered. Q: I’ve also heard that the COVID-19 vaccines might affect fertility for women and that scares me. Is that true? A: This is simply not true. This false rumor started from a poor news report that stated the vaccine was coding for a spike protein similar to one needed for a fertilized egg to implant successfully in the uterus. But to say that that the vaccine is going to attack this fertility protein would be equivalent to you dialing what you know is the wrong number home and expecting to talk to your family. Scientifically, it just can’t happen. Even more, during the early vaccine trials, 12 women became pregnant and the only one to unfortunately experience pregnancy loss was in the control group and had not received the vaccine. Q: What if my child is scared to get the vaccine? A: This would not be surprising! In pediatrics, we give vaccines all day long and it is a rare occurrence to run across a child who looks forward to getting a vaccine. There has also been a lot of hype surrounding this vaccine, both good and bad. Most have found that they barely felt the actual injection of this vaccine – and I would definitely make sure your child understands that! I would also make sure to discuss the importance of this vaccine in keeping them safe from serious infections and hospitalization from COVID-19. Q: Would you have your child get this vaccine? A: ! One of my personal mottos in pediatrics is that “I would never have you do something for your child that I wouldn’t do for my own.” I often talk about my girls, Elliott and Emerson, and they are NOT huge fans of getting their yearly flu shot. However, they have been asking when they can get their COVID-19 vaccine. They want to help keep their grandparents safe and get back to a life they used to know. Perhaps more important, as their mom, I want to know that if they are exposed, they will have at least a 95% chance of being protected from getting this virus that could forever change their life and, in turn, mine. Beginning Wednesday, August 18, those who would like a COVID-19 vaccination can walk in Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. to the Parkview Office Building, 825 Mankato Avenue adjacent to Winona Health in Winona, Minnesota. For updates, check Winona Health’s website: www.winonahealth.org.