The Pfizer COVID vaccine received authorization for children aged 12-17 on May 10th of this year. Just three days later, my 14-year-old son received his first dose, a momentous occasion for our family.
As parents, my husband and I were eager to get our son vaccinated. We had already been vaccinated ourselves, and after reviewing the safety data, I felt confident that this was a crucial step for our family. My son has asthma, and I had kept him relatively isolated for a year. His vaccination represented a pathway to freedom, and I believed it was essential for the safety of our family and the broader community.
I was genuinely surprised to learn that, as of July 28th, only 7.1 million children had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), only 28% of children aged 12-15 and 40% of those aged 16-17 are fully vaccinated.
To put it simply, 72% of 12-15 year-olds and 60% of 16-17 year-olds are still unvaccinated. This is concerning, particularly with the school year approaching and the Delta variant in circulation. Vaccination is vital not just for individual protection but also for the safety of those around us.
Vaccinating older children protects younger students in schools who are not yet eligible for the vaccine. It also safeguards teachers and staff who may be older or have health conditions that make them more vulnerable. Moreover, it reduces the likelihood of your teen bringing the virus home, which is especially important if you have unvaccinated younger kids, like my own.
In a recent interview, some parents expressed hesitations about vaccinating their teens, citing concerns about the vaccine’s testing duration, potential side effects (especially myocarditis), and the tendency for teens to experience milder cases of COVID-19.
While I understand these worries come from a place of care, many fears stem from misinformation. For instance, regarding side effects, the likelihood of a serious or fatal reaction in teens is extremely low. Dr. Katelyn Jetelina from Your Local Epidemiologist notes that since December, over 129,000 adolescents have participated in the CDC’s post-vaccination surveillance program, with side effects similar to adults, such as sore arms and fatigue. Only a small fraction required medical attention, and hospitalizations were rare.
As for myocarditis, there have been only 147 reported cases in vaccinated adolescents, all of which responded well to treatment, with no fatalities linked to the vaccine. Importantly, the risk of heart issues from contracting COVID-19 is far greater than that associated with the vaccine.
Dr. Jeremy Faust, an emergency medicine physician, emphasizes that hospitalizations due to COVID-19 often lead to severe consequences, unlike the temporary issues related to vaccines.
The reality is, COVID-19 is serious. It can be severe in children, leading to long-term effects or even fatalities. Over 400 children have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, which is unacceptable.
The solution is clear: vaccines are safe, effective, and crucial for keeping your 12-17-year-olds out of the hospital. They are also essential for safely reopening schools and moving past this pandemic. We all have a role to play, including vaccinating our eligible children.
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In summary, getting your 12-17-year-old vaccinated against COVID-19 is essential not only for their health but also for the safety of those around them. The vaccine is safe, effective, and a vital tool in combating this pandemic.
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