COVID-19 Vaccine for Children: Let’s Keep Families Healthy and Schools Open
by Jeanne Savage MDChief Medical Officer, Trillium Community Health Plan
As a physician and a parent, I know firsthand that making decisions about vaccinations for your child can be difficult. It’s important to do your research. It’s important to consult with trusted healthcare professionals, including your child’s practitioner. And it’s important to feel confident that you are making the best choice for your child and your family based on the available facts.
That includes COVID-19 vaccinations. The virus remains a very real threat here in Oregon, where cases are on the rise, hundreds of people are hospitalized, and victims continue to die from it. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 26,000 children under the age of 10 have tested positive for COVID-19 and at least 245 have been hospitalized.
In November 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that children ages 5 to 11 get vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine. Earlier, the CDC recommended vaccinations for children ages 12-15. In advance of making these recommendations, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC carefully reviewed safety data from the clinical trials and authorized the COVID-19 vaccines after measuring the benefits and risks. COVID-19 vaccination was nearly 91 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 among children aged 5-11 years. In the clinical trials, children experienced mild side effects – most commonly a sore arm – similar to the side effects seen in adults and with other vaccines recommended for kids. In short, the COVID-19 vaccine for kids is safe and highly effective.
I understand that your child’s health and well-being is your top priority. As the pandemic continues to last far longer than we all hoped it would, there are compelling reasons to consider COVID-19 vaccination for your child. For instance, vaccinating children ages 5 years and older will not only protect them but can also help protect other members of your family, including siblings who are not eligible for vaccination and family members who may be at increased risk of getting extremely ill if they are infected. And as we know, opportunities for in-person learning and social experiences are key to improving your children’s education and mental health. Getting your child vaccinated can help them stay in school and safely participate in sports, playdates, and other group activities.
As a health partner to Oregon residents and the members we serve, Trillium Community Health Plan (Trillium) actively partners with our provider network to help our members, their families, and their communities stay healthy. We have implemented a coordinated outreach plan to connect members with vaccination sites, address vaccine hesitancy through education, and remove barriers to vaccine access. Trillium staff meet regularly with providers, state and local governments, and community-based organizations to support vaccination opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and other underserved populations. We are here to help our communities connect to care.
As we enter the winter season, we’ll all be spending more time indoors where it is easier for the COVID-19 virus to spread. As new variants emerge, it’s more important than ever to protect our children and our communities by building strong immune systems against the virus. Let’s work together to help keep families healthy and schools open. Talk to your child’s doctor about the COVID vaccine today.
This article is brought to you by Parenting Now Parenting Educators and authors Amanda Bedortha, Claire Davis and Lynne Swartz, and consultant Jay Thompson. Parenting Now offers parenting groups and drop-in programs for families with children 0-8, and is passionate about happy, healthy families. For more information about Parenting Now, please visit their website or contact us at info@parentingnow.org.
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