Yesterday, Pfizer and BioTech asked the FDA for emergency use approval of their Covid vaccine for kids 5-11. A tentative meeting has been scheduled for October 26th, with a ruling that could come as soon as Halloween. A 1/3 adult dosage has been proposed for kids 5-11, with 28 million children in the eligible age group. The Pfizer vaccine for kids 12-15 has been approved since May of this year.

There is a vaccine side effect of note predominantly affecting young men ages 16-29, who developed heart problems after receiving their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna.

The study, conducted in Israel, estimated that nearly 11 of every 100,000 males in that age group developed myocarditis, inflammation of the heart, a few days after having been fully vaccinated. That figure is higher than most earlier estimates.

Boys between 16 and 19 years of age had the highest incidence of myocarditis after the second dose, according to a second study in the journal. The risk of heart problems in boys of that age was about nine times higher than in unvaccinated boys of the same age.

The absolute risk is still very small, and the condition temporary. And studies have shown that Covid-19 is much more likely to cause heart problems compared with vaccination. (via nytimes)

Females in every age group didn’t appear to have any increased risk for myocarditis. As a result of this rare side effect, some countries are suggesting only one dose of the vaccine for kids 12+ to provide partial protection.

All of these concerns, as well as the data on myocarditis, should inform a national conversation about the wisdom of offering one dose versus two shots to adolescents, some experts said.

“There hasn’t been enough discussion about the potential harms of vaccination, because everybody is very, very sensitive about hesitancy and doesn’t want to give any fuel to anti-vaccination campaigns,” Dr. Cowling said.

In the United States, in particular, many public health experts have been reluctant to voice concerns about the vaccines, Dr. Gellad said: “No one wants to introduce any doubt that kids should be vaccinated. But I think there are ways to talk about it that will appeal to people who are hesitant.” (via nytimes)

Charlie will turn 12 this December and Olive just turned 10. If the vaccine for kids 5-11 is approved by October 31st (we will arrive in the US a couple days before Halloween), we will get our kids vaccinated. How would I feel if Charlie were 16 instead of 11 and at a higher risk of getting myocarditis? I understand why some parents may be hesitant, or want to wait a little while.

But cases are still extremely high in the US and I want to protect my parents who we’ll be staying with. We will still wear masks, avoid indoor places, and try to be as safe as we can. But knowing that we are protected from serious covid by being vaccinated will give us a lot of peace of mind.

If the Pfizer vaccine for kids 5-11 is approved this year, will you get your kids vaccinated?