COVID-19 vaccines protect children of all ages

• Published in: The Journal of clinical investigation Vol. 132; no. 17; pp. 1 - 3
• Main Authors: Amarin, Justin Z, Hayek, Haya, Halasa, Natasha B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ann Arbor American Society for Clinical Investigation 01.09.2022
• Subjects: Biomedical research; Children; Coronaviruses; COVID-19 vaccines; Health aspects; Heart diseases; Immunization; Meta-analysis; Myocarditis; Pediatric research; Perception; Pericarditis; Reviews; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Teenagers; Vaccines; Viewpoint; United States; Denmark; France; United States > US
• ISSN: 1558-8238; 0021-9738; 1558-8238
• DOI: 10.1172/JCI164102

Despite the CDC recommendation that everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated against COVID-19, vaccine uptake has been suboptimal in children compared with adults; 63.4% of children 5-11 years old were unvaccinated as of Jun 30, 2022, as opposed to 30.0% of adolescents 12-17 years old and 10.1% of adults at aged 18 years and older. According to a systematic review and meta-analysis of 44 studies that included 317,055 parents, only 60.1% intended to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. Although many factors contribute to parental vaccine hesitancy, chief among them may be the perception that the risks of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in children are trivial and do not warrant prevention--a perception that is not substantiated. Other factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy include the risk of adverse events, such as myocarditis and pericarditis, and the perception that there is limited evidence from COVID-19 vaccine trials in children. Here, Amarin et al provide an overview of current evidence on the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection balanced against the risks and benefits of COVID-19 vaccines in children.