ROTHSVILLE, Pa. — Now that both the FDA and the CDC have recommended children ages 5 to 11 get the COVID-19 vaccine, there has been a massive increase in demand for the shot among pediatric health locations.
Just yesterday, WellSpan Health began administering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 5 to 11.
Dr. Vinitha Moopen, of WellSpan Family and Pediatric Medicine at Rothsville, joined FOX43 on Nov. 9 to discuss all things kids and COVID-19.
First, she started off the interview by assuring the vaccine's safety.
"There were very mild reactions, no serious complications came out of the studies, and the most important thing is that it (the vaccine) is 90.7% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 (in children ages 5 to 11)," she said. "That is a wondrous number in terms of preventing disease in children."
In terms of there being no "long-term" data regarding children and vaccines, Dr. Moopen said that as with all vaccines, most reactions would occur immediately or within the first few months.
"These vaccines have been tested now for many months," she said. "The children in these trials were monitored for two months after their second dose."
Dr. Moopen said that there are three reasons children should get vaccinated: preventing infection, preventing "long-COVID," and preventing spreading it to other people.
"We don't want them to be a vector for transmission," she said.
If you are interested in having your child vaccinated against COVID-19, visit this link.
To hear more of what Dr. Moopen had to say, check out the clip above.