COVID-19: Study Finds Risks of Infection Outweigh vaccine Side Effects in Children and Adolescents
A new study published Wednesday in The lancet Child & Adolescent Health concludes that anti-COVID-19 vaccination remains a valuable public health measure for children and adolescents,finding thay are more likely to experience health problems following a COVID-19 infection than from vaccine side effects.
The research, based on retrospective data from several million young people in the UK between 2020 and 2022, reveals that “a first Covid infection is associated with rare but serious health risks, which persist for several months” in those under 18.
Conversely, “the risks observed after a first vaccination are limited to the period immediately following it, and are significantly less than after an infection with SARS-CoV-2,” the authors state, specifying their findings relate to the Pfizer vaccine.
This study addresses a long-standing question regarding vaccination in younger populations, where perceived risks from infection appeared lower than those faced by older individuals. while mRNA vaccines - including Pfizer and Moderna (though Moderna is now less common in vaccination campaigns) – can, in rare instances, cause heart problems, the study demonstrates that the heart-related risks associated with a COVID-19 infection are demonstrably higher, even among young people. These complications include thromboembolism, thrombocytopenia, myocarditis, and pericarditis.
The authors assert that these results ”support the idea that maintaining vaccination among children and young people constitutes an effective public health measure.”
However, the study’s assessment of infection consequences encompassed all individuals under 18, while vaccination data was limited to those aged 5-18, as vaccination rates were low in very young children.
Independent pediatrician Adam Finn, of the British Science Media Center, cautioned that the conclusions “relate to the strains of Covid which were circulating at the time and not the less risky ones which are circulating now.”
In France, COVID-19 vaccination is authorized and reimbursed for children and adolescents, but health authorities currently focus their encouragement on the most vulnerable groups.
(AFP)
