Despite widespread rumors, the COVID-19 vaccine for children is no more dangerous than the disease itself. In fact, the risk of serious complications is almost nil.
A meta-analysis of 3,457 abstracts of scientific articles and 159 full texts comes to the same conclusions as the country’s scientific authorities: the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.
More than 90% of reported cases of myocarditis or pericarditis (inflammation of the heart) affect men between 20 and 29 years old. A few deaths have been detected, but the authors specify that “almost all deaths come from unverified cases and of uncertain causes.”
A study in the journal Science is even more explicit on the vaccination of children. “Nearly 700 children have died from COVID-19 [aux États-Unis], placing SARS-CoV-2 infection among the top 10 causes of death in American children. No child died from the vaccination. In fact, nearly three million little Americans have already received at least one dose, and there are no serious side effects.
Health Canada said last Friday that in its monitoring of side effects of the vaccine in children, no cases of myocarditis or pericarditis were reported.
However, the meta-analysis details the risks associated with vaccines. About one in 7,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 will develop myocarditis within 30 days of receiving Pfizer’s vaccine. Then, about 84% of those myocarditis patients will need to be treated in hospital for a two to four day stay. Chest pain, shortness of breath, and a feeling of having an unusually strong heart beat are the main effects of myocarditis or pericarditis. These heart problems are usually treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.
This study mentions that follow-up is necessary to understand the side effects of long-term vaccines, which is what health authorities in Quebec and Canada are working on.
Infections on the rise
While the vaccination of the youngest will soon begin, infections in this age group continue to increase, according to a Quebec study by the Working Group on Immunity to COVID-19.
On average, 9.7% of children and adolescents had antibodies resulting from infection with SARS-CoV-2 between May and August 2021, while between October 2020 and March 2021, the observed rate was rather 5 , 8%.
The study data shed some light on the decline in acquired immunity after contracting the disease. More than 5% of participants who had detectable antibodies at a particular time did not have them within weeks or months of infection. “Even if antibodies are not the only measure of protection against infection, they may indicate that these children and adolescents are no longer protected enough to avoid reinfection,” said the authors.