ASOURCE Navi

It is expected that children aged 5 to 11 will be vaccinated against the new coronavirus from March this year. With the Omicron strain spreading at an alarming rate, many parents are wondering whether or not to vaccinate their children. It is important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of vaccination correctly.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the number of new coronavirus infections among people in their teens and younger began to increase from December last year. is 13,050, accounting for 24% of the total. In Okinawa Prefecture, where the epidemic of the Omicron strain has preceded, the explosive spread of infection, which was centered on people in their 20s until early January, is subsiding, but the infection is beginning to spread to children and the elderly. From January 17 to 23, among all age groups, infections among teens and those under the age of 10 accounted for approximately 15% each.

The majority of COVID-19 patients aged 5-11 are considered mild. In a joint study of pediatric COVID-19 patients conducted by the National Center for Child Health and Development and the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, from January 2020 to February 2021, about 570 facilities nationwide reported COVID-19 infections for children under the age of 18 who were hospitalized. 1,038 pediatric patients were tested. As a result, 308 (30%) patients were asymptomatic, 730 (70%) had some symptoms, and 15 (2.1%) of the symptomatic patients required supplemental oxygen. ), there were no deaths, most of them mild. About 10% of symptomatic patients had a fever of 38°C or higher. However, the hospitalization period was relatively long at 8 days. In addition, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's new coronavirus infectious disease information acquisition and management system (HER-SYS), the number of people aged 5 to 11 who were infected with the new coronavirus from April to December 2021 was 61,967, of which There were 171 (about 0.3%) severe cases, 25 (0.04%) severe cases, and 0 deaths.

In May last year, children aged 12 and over were eligible for vaccination, and on January 21 this year, it was officially approved to include children aged 5 to 11. The vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years is made by Pfizer, and unlike the vaccine for children aged 12 years and older, it contains 1/3 of the active ingredient and is given in 2 doses with an interval of 3 weeks. In a clinical trial of children ages 5 to 11 in the United States, 16 out of 750 people given a placebo developed symptoms, compared with about 1,500 given two doses of one-third the usual Pfizer dose. Three people developed the disease, and the onset prevention effect was 90.7%. However, clinical trials were conducted mainly last year when the delta strain was prevalent, and it is said that the effect on the Omicron strain was not reflected.

A recent Israeli study found that children aged 5 to 11 who received two doses of the vaccine had an approximately two-fold lower risk of contracting the Omicron strain compared to unvaccinated children. A study conducted by the Israeli government in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute, the Hebrew University, and the Sheva Medical Center-Gertner Institute found that between December 25, 2018 and January 16, 2018, unvaccinated children aged 5-11 years On average, about 260 people out of 100,000 people were infected per day, but only about 120 people were infected in children who received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. was found to exhibit

Data on safety such as adverse reactions after vaccination are also being accumulated. From November 3 to December 19, 2021, approximately 8.7 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine were administered to children aged 5 to 11 in the United States, and adverse reactions were studied in approximately 42,500 enrolled children. rice field. According to the report, side effects within one week after the second dose were injection site pain 55.8% (52.7% after the first dose), fatigue 25.9% (20.1% after the first dose), headache 19.8% (13.9% after the first dose). , fever 13.4% (7.9%), muscle pain 10.2% (7.2%). Difficulties in attending school after vaccination were infrequent, and cases requiring medical care were rare. During the same period, the US Vaccination Safety Surveillance System (VAERS) reported 4,249 suspected adverse reactions, 97.6% of which were mild. Of the 100 cases reported as severe, the most common included 29 with fever and 21 with vomiting. Eleven were diagnosed with myocarditis, but all recovered. Children aged 5 to 11 years are generally less likely to develop side effects than those aged 16 to 25. The most adverse reactions, such as pain at the injection site, fever, headache, and malaise, are assumed to occur at a higher rate than other vaccines administered at this age.

Many parents worry about whether or not their child should be vaccinated. According to the Japan Pediatric Society, ``If the number of infected people increases in all ages in the future, the proportion of children who have not been vaccinated will increase, and it is predicted that the number of moderate and severe cases in children will increase. It is hoped that vaccination against COVID-19 will prevent the aggravation of the coronavirus.In addition, there is significance in inoculating even healthy children." In addition, the Japan Pediatric Association said, ``If even a young child is infected, there is an increased risk of infection to others, and the necessity and difficulty of restricting movement for more than 10 days. , the impact on children's mind and body is immeasurable," and calls for vaccination after sufficient discussion and preparation. It is necessary to correctly understand and judge the benefits and risks of vaccines.