3 weeks into the administration of both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to the under 5 year olds and all is going well. The vaccines have been tolerated very well. The only reactions we have seen have been very rare, mild fevers and slight tenderness at the injection site.
We anticipated about 25% of eligible children receiving the vaccine in the initial wave, but so far we have not seen the requests we anticipated. I am not sure if it is 1) solely reluctance to administer the vaccine to young children, 2) the fact that the perception is that COVID-19 infections are much milder now or 3) the concerns that the BA.5 variant is not covered adequately by the current vaccine.
- The vaccine is very safe and, if not 100% effective at preventing all COVID-19 infections, it is very effective at preventing serious illness and hospitalizations.
2. Although we are not seeing the numbers of hospitalizations for COVID-19 that we once did, this is mainly due to the efficacy of the vaccine. People are still coming down with serious infections (including children).
3. The current vaccine is somewhat effective against the BA.5 variant, but there is a push to change the formulation to better cover this, and future, variants more effectively. However, we do not know the timeline for these modifications and when they will actually be available to our patients (especially children). It is much better to get some coverage now.