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Children between the ages of 5 and 11 can benefit from this program. Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine early next month: two shots three weeks apart. But unlike children aged 12 years and older who receive the same dose as adults, younger children will be given 10 micrograms per dose, or one-third of the amount a 12-year-old would take.
This has created some confusion for parents of 11-year-olds who are about to turn 12. Is it best to wait on a higher dose? Or is it better to take the small dose right away? Does the child’s weight or height make any difference?
Five experts in immunology and infectious diseases agree: The appropriate dosage is best determined by the age of the child, not the size. So, if your 11-year-old can get the shot starting in November, do it right away instead of waiting for your child to turn 12.
The virus won’t go away anytime soon, they said. Different variants could potentially make the virus more contagious or dangerous, said Donna L. Farber, professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons.
The sooner your child is vaccinated, the better, experts said. Shooting greatly reduces the chance of getting seriously ill from Covid and reduces the chances of getting infected in the first place and then passing that infection on to others.
“Just do it,” said Dr. farber
Nationwide Children’s Hospital infectious diseases chief and Ohio State University professor of pediatrics Dr. Octavio Ramilo said that although many children who contract the virus recover easily, “we can’t predict who will get very sick.”
He added that more than 1,000 children have been hospitalized from Covid in Nationwide in the past year and a half, and about half of them were previously healthy.
A professor of medicine and infectious diseases specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Monica Gandhi said her little son, who will turn 12 in February, will be vaccinated as soon as possible.
“I would stick with that dose for an 11-year-old, as the 10 microgram dose is so effective,” he advised.
In the vaccine trial of 5 to 11 year olds, two doses of 10 microgram shots are almost 91 percent efficiency rate, indicates that it is very effective in preventing symptomatic infection in young children. Also, according to a Food and Drug Administration review of Pfizer’s vaccine data, there were no new or unexpected side effects or safety concerns.
It doesn’t matter if your child is younger or older than their peers when it comes to vaccinations, experts said.
Weight is an important factor when you give a medication such as Tylenol to a young child because there is great variation in weight from infancy to childhood, and too much of the drug can be toxic.
However, the optimal vaccine dose is age dependent and adapted to minimize potential side effects. D., chief of immunology at Seattle Children’s Hospital and director of the Center. David J. Rawlings said that a younger 5-year-old and an older 5-year-old would have “functionally similar” immune systems. Immunotherapeutics at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
And kids ages 5-11 “have really strong immune systems,” he added. This means that they can receive a lower dose of vaccine than those in the 12 to 17 age group and still produce the same number of vaccines. antibodies.
What You Need to Know About Covid-19 Booster Shots
The FDA has allowed booster shots for millions of buyers. Pfizer-BioNTech, modern and Johnson and Johnson vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna recipients who qualify for support include people aged 65 and over and young adults at high risk of serious Covid-19 due to medical conditions or where they work. Eligible Pfizer and Moderna recipients can receive a boost for at least six months after their second dose. All Johnson & Johnson recipients will be eligible for a second shoot at least two months after the first.
Yeah. The FDA has updated its mandate to allow medical providers to empower people with a different vaccine than the one they originally received. “Mix and Match.” You can get a booster for any other vaccine, whether you’ve received Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, or Pfizer-BioNTech. The regulators did not recommend any vaccine over the other as a booster. They also remained silent on whether it would be preferable to use the same vaccine whenever possible.
The CDC said conditions that qualify a person for a booster shot include: hypertension and heart disease; diabetes or obesity; cancer or blood diseases; weakened immune system; chronic lung, kidney, or liver disease; dementia and some disabilities. Pregnant women and current and former smokers are also eligible.
The FDA has allowed boosters for workers whose jobs put them at risk of exposure to potentially infectious humans. The CDC says the group includes: emergency health workers; education workers; food and agricultural workers; manufacturing workers; correction workers; US Postal Service employees; public transport workers; grocery workers.
Yeah. The CDC says the Covid vaccine can be administered regardless of the timing of other vaccines, and many pharmacy sites allow people to schedule a flu shot at the same time as a booster dose.
As an added bonus, with the 10 microgram dose researchers had less fever and chills after the second dose Compared to what they saw in older children aged 5 to 11 years who took higher doses.
At higher doses, the researchers observed more side effects in younger children.
Result: Appropriate vaccine dose not determined by weight “There is no patient weight requirement for the Covid-19 vaccine,” says the Centers for Disease Control and Disease Control.
As a child enters puberty, “there are changes in the immune response,” said Dr. Rawlings and her immune system are more like those of an adult. Cutting out 12 was somewhat arbitrary, he added, but overall, kids have an immune system that becomes less efficient as they get older, so a larger dose is needed.
Dr. “From our work on immune development, your immunological adulthood is much earlier than age 18,” Farber said.
Another important point: Vaccine doses are given three weeks apart, and it takes two weeks for protection to be fully established after receiving the second dose. So, for example, if you plan to wait two months for your child to turn 12, you’ll need to factor in another five weeks before your child is fully protected.
Assistant medical director of infection prevention at Seattle Children’s Hospital, Dr. Matthew P. Kronman said it was a gamble not worth taking.
“That would be like saying: OK, we’re going to my grandma’s house and I’ll wait 50 miles before I put on my seat belt and just put it on for the last 50 miles. It doesn’t make much sense,” said Dr. Kronman. “It’s better to get protection now that we know will work, depending on age.”
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