It is absolutely true that children die from flu and for this reason, vaccination for the influenza virus is highly recommended. We mandate vaccines that prevent both death and severe disease including Hepatitis A, Pertussis, and Varicella (the virus that causes chickenpox) in children. The decision to recommend the COVID vaccine follows the same reasoning: the risk of the vaccine is much smaller than the risk of getting COVID which can cause severe illness, long-COVID, and Multi-Inflammatory Syndrome in Children.

This is an excellent question but the answer is no. We have good evidence emerging that vaccination is better protection than the previous infection. In the Pfizer study of the vaccine for 5-11 year-olds, there was no increase in side effects among the children with previous COVID infection.

I've heard that natural immunity protects as well as vaccines but may increase the risk of adverse vaccine reactions, is there some truth to this?

There are actually many more examples of vaccination being better than natural immunity: first and foremost, this is because there is no risk for disease from vaccination and with many diseases (including COVID) there are risks associated with infection.

Natural immunity recognizes the whole virus and the vaccine does not.

Here is the link to the most recent study

This study demonstrates a 5-times greater risk for hospitalization from COVID after natural infection as compared with vaccination.

It is true that, since the Delta variant has become the dominant variant of the COVID19 virus in our communities, we have learned that vaccinated individuals can spread COVID19 to others. However, the data from LA County on COVID cases in 2021 clearly shows that unvaccinated individuals are at higher risk for COVID than vaccinated individuals.

Yes, the Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines are the first mRNA vaccines in wide distribution. At this point, almost 250,000,000 individuals have received the Pfizer vaccine internationally.

If an 11-year-old gets two doses of the Pfizer pediatric vaccine and then later turns 12, she does not need another dose. We don’t yet know if boosters will be needed for children who receive the COVID19 vaccine.

The Pfizer vaccine for children 5-11 year-olds uses a different ingredient from the vaccine for 12+ year-olds so it can last longer in a normal refrigerator. This ingredient is not new, though, it’s used already in the Moderna vaccine and other medications for children and is known to be safe. 

There were no deaths or hospitalizations in either group during the Pfizer vaccine trail for children 5-11 years-old. The vaccine was 90.7% effective at preventing symptomatic infection.

It is true that some medications can cause long term effects on patients (including children), but because of the way vaccines work, we have not seen long term effects of any vaccines after 6-8 weeks. This is why the FDA requires 2 month follow-up for approval. The Pfizer mRNA vaccine works by putting a very small amount of mRNA into our body which stimulates an immune response. The mRNA is broken down by our bodies within a few days and only our body’s immune response remains.

Pfizer only did a 3 month study on children. Vax safety usually takes years.

The data the FDA and CDC used to approved the Pfizer vaccine for children 5-11 years old included data on all the serious and non-serious adverse effects. There were no serious adverse effects linked to the vaccine in the more than 3000 children vaccinated as part of the trail. The non-serious adverse effects included pain at the injection site (this was the most common), fatigue and headache. All these symptoms resolved within one or two days. The data can be reviewed in detail on the slides presented to the ACIP: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/slides-2021-11-2-3.html.

The CDC has several mechanisms in place to detect adverse effects once the vaccine is approved and being used. The Vaccine Adverse Effect Reporting System (VAERS) investigates all cases of possible serious adverse effects related to the vaccine.  The frequency of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) after COVID vaccination in male teenagers and young adults is estimated at 54 cases per million.

The vaccine was designed before the delta variant was in wide circulation but it was tested when the delta variant was the most common variant circulating so we can be confident that the vaccine works well to protect from the delta variant.