PROS AN DCONS: In weighing the risks and benefits of jabbing minors, one must consider the average daily attack rate in a population, a pediatric infectious disease specialist says. (Photo by MARIANNE BERMUDEZ / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
MANILA, Philippines — As the government prepares for the vaccination of minors aged 12 to 17 years old next week, a pediatrician and infectious disease specialist said that the inoculation of children must be a joint decision between the parent and their doctor.
“At the end of the day, the ultimate responsibility is on the parent. But the pediatrician must be able to discuss and explain the benefits and risks of the vaccination,” said Dr. Benjamin Co of the University of Santo Tomas Hospital.
Among pediatric infectious disease specialists, Co said there were two schools of thought on the vaccination of the pediatric population.
“There is one school that feels that maybe we should not rush [the vaccination of children] and then there’s another school that feels that it is important to get them vaccinated,” he said in a phone interview.
Unlike the vaccines made for children, Co said that the clinical trials for COVID-19 jabs started with adults and its discovery and use were intended for the most vulnerable population.
“Now, you go to the question: Can it be used in children? The answer is yes it can,” he said, noting that studies published for Pfizer had more impressive data compared to Moderna’s.
The Philippines gave an emergency use authorization for Moderna because some European countries have approved the pediatric vaccination using this brand, Co added.
Side effects
But still, some parents are hesitant to have their children vaccinated against COVID-19 due to possible side effects.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these side effects of COVID vaccines “are normal signs that your body is building protection.”
“Serious side effects that could cause a long-term health problem are extremely unlikely following any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination,” it added.
Co said that in weighing the benefits and risks of vaccinating children, it was important to consider the average daily attack rate in a population.
“If, for example, there is a daily attack rate of 100 per 100,000 population, because the incidence rate is high, they will benefit from the vaccine. A lot will benefit from the jabs than the risk of getting myocarditis and pericarditis,” he said.
Myocarditis, or the inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, or the inflammation of the lining outside the heart, are known side effects of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines of Pfizer and Moderna occurring in adolescents and young adults.
The CDC said that there had been no similar patterns from those who received Johnson & Johnson vaccines in the United states.
“In most cases, patients who presented for medical care have responded well to medications and rest and had prompt improvement of symptoms,” it said.
“This is where we go to benefit and risk. If there is a pandemic and the cases are high, there is a surge, then you will see the benefit especially in other countries that allow face-to-face classes,” Co said.
In the United Kingdom, there is a surge in cases in the pediatric age group since they did not stop the implementation of in-person classes, Co noted.
For Dr. Lulu Bravo, executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, the pediatric vaccination was necessary in achieving herd immunity.
She said that children were also being affected by the Delta variant and there was an increase in COVID-19 cases among children age 18 and below.
“It is also necessary that to achieve herd immunity, we need 95 percent of the total population to be vaccinated,” Bravo told the Inquirer on Saturday.
Having worked in the field of vaccinology in the last 35 years, she said that another reason to vaccinate children was that “vaccines are safe, effective and they will really save lives.”
“If you have a child, you will want to do whatever you can to save them. You would want them to be able to study and to get out and be able to enjoy the outdoors. If they are not vaccinated, they might come home with a disease, especially the Delta variant,” she said.
Co noted that it was more important to vaccinate more adults because “when all the adults are vaccinated, the children will be more protected because there will be no source of [the virus].”
He added that “if we feel that it’s a good strategy to make the elderly more mobile, by providing them with boosters, then they should have rolled out the booster program way ahead of the pediatric program.”
New cases
On Sunday the Department of Health (DOH) reported 3,410 new COVID-19 cases, down from 4,008 the previous day.
With 128 more deaths, including 91 people who were previously tagged as recovered, the country has confirmed 43,172 deaths due to COVID-19.
Out of 2,787,276 total confirmed cases since last year, 45,233 people are still infected, down from 47,690 as of Saturday. This was the lowest number of active cases since July 14.
The majority, or 73.6 percent, of active cases are mild, 4.9 percent asymptomatic, 11.83 percent moderate, 6.8 percent severe and 2.9 percent critical.
The positivity rate (the percentage of those who were positive for the virus among those tested) improved to 7.2 percent, the lowest since Feb. 27, out of the 46,450 people tested on Oct. 29. However, four laboratories did not submit their data.
Hospital occupancy also eased, according to the DOH.
Nationwide, 46 percent of COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) beds are occupied (from 49 percent the previous day), while 35 percent of isolated beds (from 36 percent) and 32 percent of ward beds (from 33 percent) are in use.
In Metro Manila, 39 percent of ICU beds for COVID-19 patients are occupied (from 42 percent the previous day), while 28 percent of isolation beds (from 30 percent) and 29 percent of ward beds (from 30 percent) are occupied.