The side effects of the covid vaccine in children between 5 and 11 years old

Just a week ago, the European Medicines Agency opened the door to vaccination against covid-19 for children between 5 and 11 years old. The rebound in cases throughout the continent (and in half the world) has been the trigger for this decision, which is also leading many adults to regularize their vaccination schedule. The omicron variant has also raised alarm among the population; Despite manifesting itself until now with mild symptoms, its mutations make it more transmissible. As for the little ones, who have generally been an example of awareness and behavior in the school environment during the pandemic, health authorities consider immunization key. at a time like the current one, since they are the age group with the most infections in Spain, especially in the Basque Country and Navarra.

What is the covid vaccine approved for children and its effectiveness

The planned guideline for the little ones is two Pfizer (Comirnaty) dose and a three-week interval between injections, just as was done and continues to be done with adults in their first two doses. The vaccine load will be three times lower than that administered to people over 12 years of age. Previous studies speak of an effectiveness of 90% in this age group, although naturally the percentage varies greatly due to the personal conditions of each group.

Side effects in children

The adverse reactions to vaccines are not different from those observed in the rest of the population, and so far they have been mild: 

A lower general impact has also been noted among children between 5 and 11 years old, compared to those suffered by the vaccinated population over that age.