Covid-19 Vaccination for Young Kids: What Parents Need to Know
Gone are the days of endless worry and uncertainty for many parents. For others, the decision to vaccinate their children against Covid-19 has been a long, thoughtful process.
According to recent data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, only three out of ten parents plan to rush to vaccinate their children under five as soon as a Covid-19 vaccine is approved [1].
As a pediatrician and a mother, I understand the reasons behind parents' concerns. As a fresh parent to a beautiful six-month-old boy, I know the anxious thoughts that come with responsibility. But I also know that it's part of the parenting journey to worry, even when I'm well-versed in the science behind vaccinations.
Vaccines for children are held to the highest standards of safety and efficacy. They go through a rigorous approval process, which includes monitoring the vaccine's effects on participants in clinical trials. With Covid-19 vaccines, we have extensive experience with their safety and effectiveness, having administered over 317 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the U.S. without major problems [1].
It's also worth noting that the active ingredients in a vaccine break down once they enter your body, and they are not present in concentrations or for a period that could affect your child's growth or development [1].
The approval process
Navigating the news cycle and its mountains of information can be challenging. So let's break down the approval process for Covid-19 vaccines:
- Trials: Participants in vaccine trials are monitored for an average of two months before a pharmaceutical company can receive an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the vaccine. This waiting period offers ample time for any potentially serious side effects to surface before they are reviewed by the regulatory agencies [2].
- EUA: Once the data is submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it's reviewed by an independent advisory committee, which may grant an EUA to the vaccine [2].
- FDA Approval: The vaccine is then sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where an expert advisory committee reviews it and provides recommendations for the general public. The CDC director typically accepts the recommendations [2].
Remember, the experts behind these committees are among the brightest minds in science, which is another reason to trust the process.
As a parent, I trust these recommendations because I know they're based on facts and informed by decades of work to protect our children from serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. I hope the same can be said for you.
