Vaccination of children against COVID-19

Česká verzia

Authors: Cabrnochová Hana ^1,2
Authors place of work: Očkovací centrum pro děti, Pediatrická klinika, 1. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy, Fakultní Thomayerova nemocnice, Praha ¹; Ordinace PLDD, Praha 4 ²
Published in the journal: Čes-slov Pediat 2023; 78 (Supplementum 1): 7-12.
Category: Comprehensive Report
doi: https://doi.org/10.55095/CSPediatrie2023/026

Summary

The risk of severe covid-19 is lower than in adults, most cases of covid-19 in children are asymptomatic or mild. With regard to the number of reported cases in children, we may encounter complicated cases, the need for hospitalization and intensive care stays. A rare complication of covid-19 in children is a multisystem inflammatory disease (referred to as MIS-C or PIMS-TS), which arises as a post-infectious complication of covid-19. As an additional complication in children, long-term problems called „long-covid“ may occur after the disease. Vaccination against covid-19 is recommended for all children, in case of illness vaccination is not contraindicated, it is possible to postpone it for 3-6 months after the disease. Neither natural infection nor vaccination provides long-term immunity. Vaccination can reduce the risk of reinfection and, above all, severe courses of the disease.

Vaccination against covid-19 is indicated for all children aged 6 months and over, infants younger than 6 months can be protected by vaccinating the mother during pregnancy In childhood, mRNA vaccines are predominantly used. Their safety has been unequivocally proven. Billions of adults were vaccinated before childhood vaccination began, and millions of children are now safely vaccinated.

In the Czech Republic, vaccination coverage in children reached 49.1% in the age category 12-15 years and 7.1% in the age category 5-11 years (administration of at least one dose of vaccine) as of 27.10.2022. The vaccination rate for the age category of children 12-17 years was 54.3% as of 15.2.2023, while for the youngest children 5-11 years the number remains the same as at the end of 2022.

Keywords:

Vaccines – Safety – efficacy – COVID-19 in children – vaccination of children – adverse effects of vaccination – contraindications.

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