What you need to know before vaccinating your child aged 3 to 4 years against COVID-19 | Ecuador | News

Daily activities such as going to work or the gym still scare Estefanía Salas. She is not afraid of getting COVID-19, but that her illness will reach her 3-year-old daughter. “I am concerned that she has nothing to fight the virus with. I am afraid that she will fall, ”she confesses.

Vaccination for children 3 and 4 years old started last Tuesday in Quito, Loja, Machala and Zamora, and next February 21 will be extended to the entire country. This new phase of vaccination has generated some doubts for parents. Why should I vaccinate my child? What vaccine will be administered? or how to treat the side effects of vaccination? are some of the concerns.

Why should I vaccinate my child?

Statistics from the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) show that thirteen children under the age of 5 have died from COVID-19 in Ecuador, since mid-December, when the wave of infections caused by the omicron variant began.

The president of the Ecuadorian Society of Pediatrics, Fernando Aguinaga, explains that vaccinating children of that age brings personal and collective benefits. The benefit for the child is that her immune system will be more alert and ready in case of infection and, on the other hand, the more people are vaccinated, the risk of new variants circulating will be lower.

In addition, the infectologist and pediatrician Carola Cedillo warns that “Children are not exempt from complications and consequences due to COVID-19”. In addition to the well-known respiratory problems, there are reports of heart conditions, diabetes symptoms, the development of multisystem inflammatory syndrome and cognitive dysfunctions, the specialist points out. For this reason, she emphasizes, it is necessary to vaccinate them.

What vaccine will my child receive?

The MSP reported that the vaccine to be administered to this population is the Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovacsince it is the one authorized for this age range.

This vaccine works with inactivated virus technology. This, explains Cedillo, means that the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself has been modified to deactivate it.

What is achieved with this is that the vaccine provides the necessary proteins and components for the person to respond with antibodieswithout the virus replicating or causing the disease as such.

This is the same technology used in widely used vaccines such as influenza, chicken pox and hepatitis A, Aguinaga says.

Under this premise, Aguinaga maintains that “this makes the vaccine quite safe and effective and gives us the confidence that for these age groups the this technology has been previously tried in many children”.

Why not another vaccine?

Cedillo explains that each country’s decision on which vaccine to apply has to do with the vaccines it has access to and the possibility of obtaining.

The specialist points out that vaccines like Pfizer, with messenger RNA technology (mRNA), they have different doses for the child population and, therefore, it is necessary to supply pediatric doses specifically.

In contrast, inactivated virus vaccines, such as Sinovac, have the same doses both for children from 3 years of age and for adults (0.5 ml). For this reason, it is logistically more convenient to use Sinovac.

Cedillo emphasizes that several immunization committees in other countries consider that Pfizer’s new technology (mRNA) has been shown to be safe; however, other evaluators have chosen to inactivated virus technology, considering it the best known in the child population for decades.

What side effects can my child have?

After vaccination, the child may present fever, pain and redness in the area where the vaccine was applied, and gastrointestinal discomfort. These are among the effects that the administration of this dose could produce in children and are considered normal, Aguinaga points out.

These are symptoms that have already been seen in children over 5 years of age who have been vaccinated, Aguinaga comments, emphasizing that no significant adverse effects have been observed in this population.

How to treat discomfort from vaccination?

Cedillo recommends that before vaccination the patient should not be medicated. “This is unnecessary and could backfire because we’re not letting the body do the reaction that it should,” he says.

According to the specialist, the discomfort experienced by the child after vaccination is the body’s response mechanism and the production of defenses against the virus.

The doctor recommends that if the child has a temperature greater than 38 degrees Celsius, a medicine to reduce fever in the doses indicated by a doctor. He also suggests applying ice for arm discomfort from the prick.

Aguinaga advises that, in the presence of discomfort, administer a pain reliever such as paracetamol. The amount and frequency with which this medicine should be given must be defined by a doctor, since the dosage varies according to the weight of the patient.

Can I vaccinate my child if I suspect that he or she is infected with COVID-19?

The MSP guidelines indicate that no child will be able to access the dose if they have presented fever in the last 72 hours. In addition, if the child has respiratory or gastrointestinal symptoms, they must first be evaluated to rule out that they are suffering from COVID-19.

The MSP also indicates that if a child confirmed the contagion and had symptoms, they must end the ten day isolation before receiving the vaccine. Instead, if he was asymptomatic, that isolation is reduced to seven days.

Where and from when can I vaccinate my child?

Vaccination of children 3 and 4 years old has already begun in Quito, Loja, Machala and Zamora, and will be extended to the entire country as of February 21, reported the MSP.

At the moment, these four cities are applying the doses in the public educational units, giving priority to school children. And from February 21, vaccination of children will be carried out in health centers throughout the country.

What requirements must I submit for vaccination?

Parents and legal representatives must submit a informed consent for children to access the vaccine. You can download the document at the following link:

https://www.salud.gob.ec/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Anexo-4.-CONSENTIMIENTO-INFORMADO-VACUNA-COVID19-NINOS-3-Y-4-ANOS-MSP.pdf

In this document, the MSP reports on vaccine reactions that are very common, common, uncommon, and rare. Cedillo stresses that there is strong data supporting the safety of vaccines and that it is important for parents to make an informed decision. (I)

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