Risks? What side effects? We answer your questions about vaccination for 5 to 11 year olds

• The Legault government wants to vaccinate as many children as possible from 5 to 11 years old over the next three weeks.

• If a significant proportion of the 650,000 children aged 5 to 11 in Quebec are vaccinated, François Legault could announce new flexibility for the holidays.

• Children will receive the same Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, but in smaller doses.

Will the children receive the same vaccine as us? Are there any risks associated with it? Why vaccinate at such a young age? The vaccination of children aged 5 to 11, which will begin tomorrow in Quebec, raises questions and concerns among some parents.

To help you see more clearly, Roxane Borgès Da Silva, professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal, and Dr.^r Nicholas Brousseau, medical consultant at the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (ISNPQ), answered our questions.

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Will children receive the same vaccine as the rest of the population?

It’s the same Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, but in smaller doses, says Dr.^r Brousseau. “Children will receive 10 micrograms per dose, unlike 30 micrograms for the rest of the population [adultes et adolescents], because they generally respond better than adults to vaccines. “

Is it as effective in children as it is in adults?

“The efficiency is around 91%, which is excellent and comparable to the efficiency found in adults,” says Dr.^r Brousseau, citing the results of clinical trials conducted by Pfizer in the United States with more than 3,000 children.

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What are the most common side effects in children?

“As with other vaccines, you may see fatigue or fever appear in the days following vaccination, in addition to a slightly painful redness at the injection site,” says Dr.^r Brousseau. The smaller doses children receive, however, may lessen these potential side effects, he says.

Regarding the risks of complications, such as myocarditis and pericarditis (inflammation of the heart) observed in some young adults and adolescents, the doctor is reassuring. “In the clinical trial, there was no myocarditis detected in 5 to 11 year olds. Moreover, the data indicates that the younger the vaccinated person, the lower the risk of complications. ”

The eight-week interval proposed by Quebec should also reduce the risks even further, in addition to increasing the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Why vaccinate children if there is little risk of serious complications from the virus?

It is above all to protect the rest of the population and curb the virus, answers Roxane Borgès Da Silva.

“Children are now among the most affected in the country by COVID. With the Delta variant, we see that they are as contagious and spreading as adults. Currently, as the majority of outbreaks take place in schools, particularly in elementary schools, vaccination should therefore help to curb this trend, ”she explains.

The vaccine should also make it possible to avoid the closure of classes and the isolation of young people, who can have harmful impacts on their health. “As soon as a child is isolated, its development and learning are affected. They must be able to practice their sport, socialize with their comrades, etc. ”, she mentions.

The vaccine would therefore represent a lower risk to their health.

Are there places where immunizing children is already working?

While the United States began immunizing children in early November, it is too early to judge the campaign’s effectiveness. The epidemiological situation in our southern neighbors shows, however, that we must act quickly, believes Roxane Borgès Da Silva.

“In the United States, at the end of October, there were up to 100,000 children a week who were infected and tens of thousands were hospitalized. All children can therefore be affected, ”she explains.

And although serious complications are less common among younger people, more than 700 American children have died from COVID-19. “A child of death is always one too many. At the same time, no child died from the vaccination. So for me, it’s clear that the vaccine saves lives there, ”she says.

What impact could childhood vaccination have on the aftermath of the pandemic?

It will depend on several factors, such as “the appearance of new variants and the decline in vaccine immunity in our elderly,” says the professor.

When the children have received their second dose, “if these factors are under control and depending on the vaccination rate that will be reached in the children, I believe that we will be able to gradually relax the health measures”, estimates Roxane Borgès Da Silva.

François Legault, for his part, indicated last Thursday that the objective of vaccinating 80% of some 650,000 young Quebecers could make it possible to lift “most of the instructions”. This afternoon, 80,000 appointments had already been made online on the ClicSanté platform.

Why is it important to immunize as many children as possible before the holiday season?

To protect the most vulnerable as a period of close contact approaches.

“It is therefore important that as many children as possible receive their first dose before these gatherings to protect vulnerable people, especially the elderly who have not yet had access to the third dose,” says Roxane Borgès Da Silva.

This strategy will also prevent hospitals from being abused after the holidays, a period that is generally busy, also recalls the D^r Brousseau.

If the operation goes well, Mr. Legault is optimistic that he will be able to announce further flexibility in time for the holidays.

How will childhood immunization work?

Quebec has opted for a hybrid strategy that gives parents the choice to have their child vaccinated at school or to make an appointment at a vaccination center.

“In this way, children who fear vaccination can be accompanied by their parents, and for others, they can be vaccinated at school, which is good for parents who have less time to accompany them”, details M^me Borges Da Silva.

The vaccination centers are equipped with playful decorations to make the experience as fun and as safe as possible for children.

What is the message to send to parents who hesitate to have their child vaccinated?

“It is very important to reassure parents: the benefits of the vaccine are clearly greater than the risks associated with it, which are very, very low. No child has died from the vaccine, while the virus does not spare them, ”insists Roxane Borgès Da Silva.

For his part, the D^r Brousseau recalls that “everyone wants the well-being of children” and that the positive impact that vaccination could have on the progress of children’s various activities is clearly greater than the risks incurred.