According to the CDC’s website, scientists have conducted clincal trials with about 3,000 children, and the Food and Drug Adminsrtation (FDA) has determined that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccines has met the safety and efficacy standards for authorization in children ages 5 through 11 years old. Photo by CDC on Unsplash.
Like most kids, Diego Peña, a six-year-old from the Bronx, doesn’t like getting shots. He hopes that when it’s his turn, the COVID-19 vaccine, newly approved for children last week, doesn’t hurt as much as the other vaccinations he has gotten. “Those shots that I’ve taken were more different because of how painful they were, unlike the COVID-19,” said Pena who is in 2nd grade.
Peña represents one of the 28 million children now eligible to get the COVID vaccine.
The Food and Drug Administration announced earlier this month that Pfizer’s vaccine was safe for children from ages 5-11. The CDC reports approximately 1.9 million COVID-19 cases and 8,300 hospitalizations among US children aged 5–11 years as of October 10. It is now the eighth leading cause of death in children that age.
Avril Sanchez, an eight-year-old girl from the Bronx who is in 4th grade, said that she would get the vaccine and would do it for her health. She believes that getting vaccinated would help protect her from getting sick and infecting others. Still, she also fears the pain. “My arm would sometimes hurt or I got sick, I think,” she said, referring to past vaccinations. “I worry about the side effects as well because of how my body can experience them.”
Side effects of the vaccine in adults include headache, fatigue, muscle pain and soreness of the arm, and they are similar in children. In very rare cases, adolescents have experienced myocarditis, which is the inflammation of the heart muscle, but it is very rare.
Spencer Lee, an 11-year-old boy from Queens who is in the 6th grade, says that despite the risks he’s heard about, the vaccine is still worth taking. “I feel like it’s important for everyone to get vaccinated so they don’t have too many deaths going around,” Lee said. “The vaccination really helps people not feel the symptoms of Covid.”
Lee also offers advice to people who hesitate to take the vaccine. “Don’t fight it,” he stated. “Don’t be like an anti-vaxxer. Sure, you will have numbness in your arm for a day or two,” he added, assuring that it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.
Tags: CCNY CCNY Journalism CDC Coronavirus COVID-19 COVID-19 vaccines Cuny CUNY Journalism The City College of New York Vaccines for 5-11 year olds Vaccines for children
Series: Coronavirus
