Maron Meyer
Northwest Asia Weekly
Sashi Olson, 9 years old, received his first Pfizer injection. (Photo from UW Medicine)
The woman’s voice on the phone was eager, focused, and even wanted to help.
“We also have nurses who can answer questions,” she said.
The call center operated by King County helps arrange COVID-19 vaccination. This is the latest sign that the pandemic response has now entered a new phase—children’s vaccines.
When the reporter talked to the agent, she was able to connect him with a Chinese translator, which is a multilingual available. This also shows that the government and the private sector are uniting to deal with the influx of newly approved pediatric vaccines.
10-year-old Micah Wong is being vaccinated (photo from UW Medicine)
States, King County, school districts, pharmacies, and community health providers are receiving the first batch of vaccines, which have been unanimously approved by advisory members of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control. Prevention of Children 5-11 Years Old (CDC).
“Several independent expert teams that advise these institutions have found that the vaccine is 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 symptoms,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, a public health officer in Seattle and King County, in a media briefing last week. Said at the meeting.
These vaccines have also been approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Just in time.
In the past 7 days, the highest infection rate of any age group in Jin County was among children aged 5-17, with an incidence rate of 159/100,000. Among 18-64-year-olds, this ratio is 124 per 100,000. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of children aged 5-11 who have died of COVID-19 in Jin County has reached approximately 94.
5-year-old Vivi Wong is being vaccinated (photo from UW Medicine)
“Children should not die when they are 5-11 years old,” Du Qin said. “Some people may say that this number is relatively small compared to the number of adults, but again, children should not die at that age.”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, COVID-19 has become the eighth leading cause of death for children in this age group.
There are other dangers.
Once young children are hospitalized, one-third need intensive care. The virus does not particularly affect frail children-one third of severe Covid patients are otherwise healthy.
Children are at risk of multiple system inflammatory syndrome (MIS) or long-term Covid, which may permanently hinder brain development. They can also spread the virus in schools and other gatherings. “This is very important for the development of children,” Du Qin said. “I think it is obvious that this is a very important disease for children.”
Some parents have already reacted.
Dr. Brandon and Crystal Wong and their three vaccinated children (from left) Micah, 10 years old, Vivi, 5 years old, and Ellie, 7 years old (Photo: Mahlon Meyer)
Last week, a dozen parents took their children to vaccinate television workers at the vaccine clinic for children at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine at Coastline Community College, hoping that this will inspire other families.
Crystal Wong, a family medicine doctor affiliated with the University of Washington, said: “The Covid vaccine is the best way to vaccinate and the right way to protect the frail. We have no doubt about getting it for our own children. Not for our own children. As A medical worker, I got mine in December,” she told Northwest Asia Weekly.
Some vaccinated children initially seem to be worried about vaccinations. Wong’s son, 10-year-old Micah, wears a black mask and a green baseball cap. When the needle is pointed at his arm, his eyes look straight ahead. But the moment it touched, he turned his head to watch.
He told reporters: “I’m really excited, I can do more things, and I don’t have to worry about the virus.”
The pediatric vaccine is a smaller version of Pfizer’s BioNTech vaccine for adults. It has the same active ingredients, but 10 micrograms, compared to 30 micrograms for adult formula.
“Children 5-11 years old must receive this pediatric formula, they can’t just get half of the adult formula,” Du Qin said. He added that the same vaccine has been vaccinated in more than 200 million people in the United States and has an excellent safety record. The incidence of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) in men is very low. But it is less common in this age group.
The complications of myocarditis are far lower than those caused by Covid in the same age group and young children. Duchin said that a person is more likely to have a serious heart event due to Covid-19, while carditis, which is rare but likely to occur in young men, is less complicated and most people recover smoothly.
He said that at the time of the last update, the cardiologists caring for these patients reported that at the time of follow-up, 90% of the patients had recovered.
“Cost-effectiveness is clearly conducive to vaccination at this age.”
Many parents agree. Although states, counties, and school districts are receiving doses, the waiting list is filling up.
King County is receiving the first 97,000 doses of vaccine provided by the CDC, which is enough to vaccinate 48,000 children in this age group, which is approximately one-quarter of the county’s 200,000 eligible children.
“The school district in King County is working with many different vaccination partners, including Costco, Safeway, Seattle Visiting Nurses Association, Othello Station Pharmacy, Harborview Medical Center, local EMS providers, etc.,” said the public health spokesperson-Seattle Hejin County.
UW Medicine received 5,700 doses of vaccine on November 2 and expects more in the coming days. Some pharmacies and community health care centers have already accepted the dose. Duchin said that because children can spread the coronavirus, it becomes more urgent-so vaccinating them not only protects them, but also their families and communities.
This is especially important as winter approaches.
“Our children are ready to be vaccinated, they have returned to school, but people are still very anxious about Covid,” said Dr. Shireesha Dhanireddy, the infectious disease and clinical director of the UW Medicine COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic. “Even if it’s just a case of sniffles, our usual winter sniffles not only bring a lot of fear and worry to children, but also a lot of fear and worry to parents and teachers.”
Wong told Northwest Asia Weekly that she knew some parents were hesitant.
“I understand their worries. They are worried because this is their own child,” she said. Her three children and her husband are by her side. “Vaccines are very safe. The threat is real. In winter, as the need to stay indoors increases, the risks are more serious than any side effects.”
Dhanireddy’s son, 9-year-old Sashi Olson, is wearing a sweatshirt from Camp Orkila-where he said he was learning archery at a summer camp. As if watching the flight of an arrow, his eyes were fixed on the curved needle that ran through his arm. However, once the vaccination was over, when she talked to the reporter, he followed her mother.
Like their children, these parents can now breathe a sigh of relief. In three weeks, their child will receive a second dose. Then after two weeks, they will be completely immune.
On November 6, the Washington State Department of Health announced an important milestone in the launch of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine, just a few days after children were eligible. Since the distribution began in mid-December 2020, Washington State has distributed more than 10 million doses of vaccine.
Duchin emphasized, “People need to understand that if you are not vaccinated, Delta will find you. It’s just a matter of time.”
To register for the King County Pediatric Vaccine Waiting List, please visit: kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/vaccine/distribution.aspx.
Can reach Malone info@nwasianweekly.com.
This health series is funded by the Washington State Department of Health, which has no editorial opinions or supervision of these contents.
