On Friday, June 17, 2022, the Florida government finally permitted ordering of COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 years old, due to high demand from medical professionals and the federal government.
“The state of Florida intentionally missed multiple deadlines to order vaccines to protect its youngest kids,” says Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator.
As the only U. S. state to not accept preordering of vaccines before the deadline, Florida also does not recommend the usage of the COVID-19 vaccine on healthy children. Governor Ron DeSantis says it’s because “these are the people who have zero risk of getting anything”. Because they could not order vaccines through the federal government, doctors had to wait until the online state portal was opened on Friday and the FDA showed approval.
There are several factors that people must consider when forming their opinion about vaccination of young children. Those who are against it, like the majority of the Florida government, propose that children are at low risk, which doesn’t make up for the potential adverse side effects and the monetary cost. Those who support it argue that vaccination protects children from greater consequences in the future, and that it helps prevent quarantine and school lockdowns, as well as increasing herd immunity.
The Kaiser Family Foundation found that 30% of parents of children between 12 and 17 years old would definitely not get their children vaccinated, and 36% for children 5 to 11 years old, which means there is an even greater concern for children under 5. A study published in Clinical Immunology reported “6,536 adverse events following immunization”. Those against vaccination commonly cite reports from VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System), which is used by CDC.
However, adverse effects found in VAERS reports cannot be confirmed to be caused by the vaccine, since they can be submitted by anyone. The CDC says that although naturally contracting COVID-19 can build some immunity, vaccines are a more safe and predictable way to do it. A study involved in the COVID-19 Active Registry Experience shows a median of three side effects, the most common ones being fatigue, injection site reactions, and headache, after taking the first or second dose of any of the three (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson) vaccines, and hospitalization was rare.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/17/us/florida-pediatric-covid-vaccine-children-desantis.html
“The state of Florida intentionally missed multiple deadlines to order vaccines to protect its youngest kids,” says Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator.
As the only U. S. state to not accept preordering of vaccines before the deadline, Florida also does not recommend the usage of the COVID-19 vaccine on healthy children. Governor Ron DeSantis says it’s because “these are the people who have zero risk of getting anything”. Because they could not order vaccines through the federal government, doctors had to wait until the online state portal was opened on Friday and the FDA showed approval.
There are several factors that people must consider when forming their opinion about vaccination of young children. Those who are against it, like the majority of the Florida government, propose that children are at low risk, which doesn’t make up for the potential adverse side effects and the monetary cost. Those who support it argue that vaccination protects children from greater consequences in the future, and that it helps prevent quarantine and school lockdowns, as well as increasing herd immunity.
The Kaiser Family Foundation found that 30% of parents of children between 12 and 17 years old would definitely not get their children vaccinated, and 36% for children 5 to 11 years old, which means there is an even greater concern for children under 5. A study published in Clinical Immunology reported “6,536 adverse events following immunization”. Those against vaccination commonly cite reports from VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System), which is used by CDC.
However, adverse effects found in VAERS reports cannot be confirmed to be caused by the vaccine, since they can be submitted by anyone. The CDC says that although naturally contracting COVID-19 can build some immunity, vaccines are a more safe and predictable way to do it. A study involved in the COVID-19 Active Registry Experience shows a median of three side effects, the most common ones being fatigue, injection site reactions, and headache, after taking the first or second dose of any of the three (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson) vaccines, and hospitalization was rare.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/17/us/florida-pediatric-covid-vaccine-children-desantis.html
