Backyard barbecues, sand volleyball and bonfires at the beach. Those are just a few of the things that make teenage summers memorable. Through COVID-19 vaccination, we can give this gift of normalcy back to our teens. It’s not only good for the mental health of our kids, but parents, too!
Are COVID-19 Case Rates Increasing in Pediatric Patients?
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that more than 20% of new COVID-19 cases nationwide are being identified in the 18-or-younger age group. We are seeing a similar trend locally.
Why are we seeing more COVID-19 in kids? I have several theories.
First, COVID-19 vaccines work! As more older Americans are vaccinated, their age group is less likely to catch COVID-19. This leaves unvaccinated populations, including most children, still vulnerable to infection. It is reasonable to expect that younger age groups will make up a larger percentage of new cases until they are vaccinated.
As schools and youth activities reopen, more unvaccinated kids are gathering together. Contact tracing links an increase in COVID-19 cases to the resumption of youth sports, and get-togethers between unvaccinated teens and young adults.
My third theory is that the newer variants appear to be more contagious to unvaccinated adults, teens and young children.
So, What Can We Do to Protect Our Kids?
VACCINATE. VACCINATE. VACCINATE.
One year ago, our best options were to stay home, mask up and distance. Now, we have a powerful weapon that comes in a syringe and offers a long-term solution.
COVID-19 Vaccine for Age 16 or Older
When the Pfizer vaccine was made available for anyone age 16 or older, local high school students flocked to pharmacies and drive-thru and public health clinics to start their two-dose series.
This was welcome news to high schools, which were reporting several new cases each week, leading to quarantines, cancellations of sporting events and anxious times for those with direct exposures.
For those teens who are now two weeks out from their second Pfizer vaccine, they can start to get back to normal, hang out with their friends, avoid testing before athletic events and avoid quarantine if they are exposed to a sick classmate.
Pfizer Vaccine Now Approved for Ages 12 to 15!
The Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine for kids who are 12 to 15 years old. Study data shows 100% efficacy, excellent safety and tolerability in this age group. This is wonderful news for these tweens and teens (and their parents). Teen vaccination offers hope for a more “normal” summer and it increases the prospects of a more normal junior high and high school experience in the Fall.
Do Kids Get COVID-19?
There has been a narrative that “kids don’t get COVID-19.” That is just not true. If you look for COVID-19 in children, you will find it.
The majority of kids have been spared from hospitalization, serious complications and death, but not all kids. I have several patients who are being worked up and managed for unrelenting “long hauler” symptoms, and my hospitalist colleagues share stories about MIS-C (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children).
Our schools can keep students safe with masks, distancing, small cohorts and hybrid learning. This is a reasonable short-term solution, but we all look forward to the day when we can get back to full-time school without these extra measures. Vaccines will help us get there.
If You Got Your Shot, Why Does It Matter If I Get My Shot?
The answer is herd immunity, also known as community immunity.
While it is true that a vaccine offers protection to the person who is vaccinated, we need to achieve a certain level of community immunity to control the rate of spread. Not every immune system will develop the same level of protection from a vaccine. Some people remain vulnerable because they are not yet eligible to receive a vaccine because of age or an underlying medical condition. As more people are vaccinated, we will reduce the spread of COVID-19 and protect our most vulnerable and medically fragile.
Through mass vaccination programs, we have successfully eradicated viruses such as smallpox and polio. We have proven that we can control other viruses such as measles, chicken pox, and hepatitis A and B.
COVID-19 is now a vaccine preventable disease. If we can vaccine enough of our population, we have the chance to control and someday eradicate COVID-19.
The more contagious a virus is, the more people who have to be immunized to achieve herd immunity. To control a very contagious virus like measles, we strive for a 95% vaccination rate. We don’t yet know the magic number to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19, but estimates range from 75% to 85%. To reach this goal, we will need to vaccinate most adults and children. If COVID-19 is allowed to spread and mutate, it may become more contagious, meaning even more of us would need to roll up our sleeves.
What Is an mRNA Vaccine, and How Does It Work?
Think of messenger RNA (mRNA) as a recipe that instructs a cell on how to make a specific protein.
In the case of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA tells our cells how to make a protein that looks similar to the “spike protein” that the COVID-19 virus uses to gain entry into a cell. Our immune system learns to recognize the “spike protein” and create antibodies against it. In a matter of hours, the mRNA gets broken down and disappears. Our immune system is left with COVID-19 antibodies and the ability to create more antibodies should we ever be exposed to the real virus.
Although the term “mRNA” may trigger you to think of genetic material like “DNA,” the mRNA never interacts or alters our bodies’ DNA or genetics.
The mRNA vaccine does not contain the coronavirus, and it will not cause you to get COVID-19. It will not impact future fertility or adversely affect a developing fetus or breastfed baby. The side effects that people sometimes report, such as fever, achiness and fatigue, are really a good sign that your immune system is developing a robust response.
The mRNA vaccines are not new. Scientists have been working on mRNA vaccine technology for decades, and previous mRNA vaccines have been developed for rabies, influenza, cytomegalovirus and Zika viruses. While these vaccines have not yet been brought to market, mRNA technology is not new. Because it is fairly simple to create an mRNA strain, I expect many more mRNA vaccines to be developed after seeing how safe and effective the COVID-19 vaccine has been.
Safety in Numbers
At this point, hundreds of millions of mRNA vaccines have been administered worldwide. The safety and effectiveness have been overwhelming. As someone who has worked with vaccines for more than 20 years, it is hard to imagine a more perfect vaccine.
In Israel, where a large percentage of the population has been vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, the case counts have dropped dramatically. California (and Santa Barbara County) appear to be following a similar trend.
Don’t Throw Away Your Shot
Be like Hamilton and “don’t throw away your shot” at having a more normal summer. If we can work to vaccinate our teens in the coming weeks, they can start to hang out without the fear of getting COVID-19 and spreading it to others. This will also help our schools plan for a more typical school year in the fall.
Our family is fortunate to have one teenager who is already vaccinated and a 14-year-old excitedly waiting on deck for his appointment. Our youngest may have to wait until the fall to get his, unless he qualifies for a younger age group vaccine trial.
After the administration of hundreds of millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine, it is clear that mRNA vaccines are safe and effective. I hope that you will consider getting your tweens and teens vaccinated as soon as possible. Not only will it protect them, but it will help protect our whole community.
To sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine for anyone age 12 or older, please go to Myturn.ca.gov.
— Dr. Dan Brennan is a board-certified pediatrician at Sansum Clinic who hopes we will all work together to build community immunity and control the spread of COVID-19. Dr. Dan can be reached at 805.563.6211, or visit sbpediatrics.com.
