Opinion: Pediatrician’s advice for parents considering a potential Covid-19 vaccine for young children
As a pediatrician, I find this reaction to be bad. As a new mother with a beautiful son who will be 6 months old this March, I understand this concern of parents. I have accepted that anxiety is part of being a parent, and despite being well versed in the science, I have also stopped to ask myself if I am ready for my child’s Covid-19 vaccine. . After all, my most important job as a mother is to keep him safe.
Then, knowing that some of us may be torn by the choices ahead, but we all want to keep our children safe, I wanted to share with you a few things that bring My comfort as the Covid-19 infant vaccine is done through the regulatory process.
Context of childhood immunization
Few things in this world are as rigorously tested and monitored as childhood immunizations, and for good reason. Vaccines, unlike drugs to treat diseases, are given to healthy children to keep them healthy. Therefore, the standard of safety and efficacy that a vaccine must have in order to be approved is extremely high.
I also find it helpful to remember that after vaccination, immunity exists in the body but not the vaccine itself. Many parents have shared with me their concerns about the long-term effects of vaccines on their child’s development, fertility, and future growth. I usually interpret a vaccine as a kind of brief message that tells the body to take protection against a virus, and once received and acted upon, the body destroys that message.
Vaccine approval process
While it can be a bit overwhelming at times, it’s hard to follow how thorough the vaccine review and approval process in this country is.
Behind the long names and acronyms, these committees are made up of some of the most brilliant scientific minds of our time, which gives me one more reason to believe in the process.
The vaccines that children receive regularly go through this process over many years and have been shown to be safe and effective. This until now has led me to vaccinate my son as soon as he is eligible against diseases like hepatitis B, diphtheria, polio, whooping cough and others. As the Covid-19 vaccine moves through the regulatory process in the coming weeks, I hope to be able to tune in to the noise, put aside all worries, and have a clear mind like a new mom can, know. that FDA and CDC recommendations will be fact-based and implemented by those who have worked diligently for decades to protect our children from dangerous and sometimes deadly illnesses. Deadly. I can only wish the same for you.