DEAR Dr. Fritz,
Good day to you. I would just like to raise my concerns on pediatric Covid-19 vaccination. I have a 15-year-old daughter and so I wanted to know the related risks of the said vaccination to this group of population. Don’t we need medical clearance from our pediatricians?
Thank you and may you have a wonderful day.
Concerned Mom
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Dear Concerned Mom,
I understand your concern. You are a mom protecting your daughter. However, don’t fret. We are here to protect the human kind.
Yes, there are risks related to vaccination with the pediatric population. And here are some:
Local and systemic adverse events within 7 days after vaccination.
The most common local reaction is pain in the injection site which could be mild and transient. And the most common systemic reaction is just fever and is usually seen on the second dose.
Myocarditis and pericarditis
There are reports of temporal association associated with mRNA vaccines. However, the cases seen are very minimal. After the first dose, there are only 4.8 cases per million in 12-15 year olds and 5.2 cases per million in 16-17 year olds. And after the 2nd dose, there were only 42.6 cases per million in 12-15 year olds and 71.5 cases per million in the 16-17 year old group.
The mechanism is unknown and there were no risk factors that were identified. The risk however, appears in the male adolescents aged 16 or older and often is seen after the 2nd dose. But, the good thing here is there is quick recovery with supportive care.
The medical certificate from your pediatrician is only required if your child has a comorbidity. Otherwise, your daughter is good to go with your consent.
Good luck!
Dr. Fritz
(Dr. Fritz Legarde Espedilla is an aesthetic dermatologist and surgeon and a clinical sexologist. She is also trained in hypnotherapy and Medical Acupuncture. She has been in the broadcast media for more than a decade and has written a book based on her 15 year stint with her radio program, “Healthy is Sexy Secrets ni Dr. Fritz.” For your questions, you may e-mail them to dokfritz@yahoo.com. If you don’t wish your letter to be published, we regret that we cannot answer them. Thank you for your understanding.)