Kids Throw on Their Backpacks and Get the Vaccine
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Children aged 6 months and up are able to receive a vaccine just in time for the first day of school. “We strongly encourage everyone to make sure their child is up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations,” said Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a Mayo Clinic Pediatric Infectious Diseases expert.
“What we’ve seen since the rollout of vaccinations for kids 6 months up to 18 years of age is that the vaccines are extremely safe,” Rajapakse continued. “They’re well-tolerated in kids, and they are providing good protection against hospitalization and death from COVID-19.”
A report by the CDC published on Aug. 10, 2022, states that just seven weeks after the vaccine was approved for children as young as 6 months, 1.0 million children between the ages of 6 months to 4 years old had gotten their first dose.
As classroom doors open, the CDC has announced new guidelines to protect against COVID-19. Recommendations include up-to-date vaccines, routinely disinfecting surfaces, and creating outbreak strategies. Rajapakse not only warns against the dangers of catching COVID but also the long-term effects from which children can suffer.
“Long COVID-19, for example, we have seen this, especially in kids and teenagers,” notes Rajapakse. “We know that getting vaccinated can prevent that from developing. Other complications, like multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, which can be a really severe, life-threatening complication of COVID-19 infection, are (issues) too. The risk is lower if you’ve had your COVID-19 vaccinations.”
