Should Kids Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? Stanford, NYU, UCSF Trained Pediatrician Shares The Science

Dr. Elisa Song shares what she knows about science, kids and the COVID-19 vaccines in her recent article, “Should Kids Get a COVID-19 vaccine? A Pediatrician’s Perspective.” Healthshifter has followed this holistic pediatrician’s journey through COVID-19. We read her blogs about her integrative and functional approach to treating COVID-19 and we watched as she navigated her own personal terror when her 8 year old son was hospitalized March 2020 with with all the signs of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). We have great respect for Dr. Song. Her article has many science based facts but it’s main takeaway is that parents should have an: “Understanding that a) children are protected by the level of adult immunity in the community, whether from natural infection or vaccination, and that b) children are less likely to develop serious disease or transmit infection.” This understanding she suggests “allows parents, physicians, and policymakers, to step back and take a calm, rational approach to whether or not children should get a COVID-19 vaccine…” Take a deep breath, begin to let go of some of those deep 2020 fears and read some of Dr. Song’s research:

1. ‘COVID-19 vaccination in adults, even without pediatric vaccination, protects children. Even before COVID-19 vaccines had been rolled out to children and adolescents in the US, the number of new pediatric COVID-19 cases added per week dropped by 50% – from 72,067 new cases the week of May 6, 2021 to 34,463 new cases the week of May 27 (7) – the LOWEST number of new cases recorded since the week of October 9-15, 2020.’ 
2. ‘Children are less likely to spread infection, even if they are asymptomatic. Several studies have demonstrated that lower viral load in the nasopharynx has been associated with lower rates of transmission. In other words, the less virus that grows in your nose, the less infectious you are to others. Children in general have been found to have lower viral loads and lower culture positive rates. One study (12) found that nasopharyngeal swabs from children 0-5 years were 80% less infectious as adults.’
3. ‘The CDC and FDA must re-consider their recommendations that children and adults with a history of prior COVID-19 infection should still get a COVID-19 vaccine.’ Dr. Song discusses how a Cleveland Clinic Health System study of its 52,000 employees showed “individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, and vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before.” Moreover, Dr. Song shares that “People with prior COVID-19 infection are not at greater risk for re-infection compared with vaccinated individuals, but those with prior infection may be at higher risk for serious adverse events if they do get vaccinated. Receipt of ANY COVID-19 vaccine was associated with a higher incidence side effects in those with prior COVID-19 infection. (22) The Moderna mRNA vaccine was associated with more frequent and severe side effects after the 1^st dose in those with prior infection. (23) Prior COVID-19 infection was also associated with increased rates of adverse events after the Pfizer vaccine. (24,25).”
4. Dr. Song notes that we should focus on vaccinating higher risk individuals who have had no prior infection instead of focusing on vaccinating children for whom risk of serious COVID disease or death is very low. In further support of focusing on high risk/no prior infection adults versus kids, she explains that with regard to children, the risk for immediate adverse events like myocarditis is under investigation, and the risk of long-term adverse consequences is unknown.
5. ‘…As of June 3, 2021, new child COVID-19 cases had dropped to 14.1% of all reported cases in the US….’ ‘Hospitalization rates have remained low, with only 0.8% children with COVID-19 requiring hospitalization, even with circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants. …hospitalization rates show that as of May 29, 2021, hospitalization rates in 12 to 17-year-olds were back down to their low of 0.6 per 100,000.’ ‘…While almost half of hospitalized children have no underlying medical condition, the most frequently seen risk for hospitalization in children is obesity (the 2^nd highest risk factor in adults) – a modifiable, lifestyle-related disease.(13)’
6. ‘Mortality rates have remained very low since the beginning of the pandemic, with only 0.01% children diagnosed with COVID-19 ending in death. An analysis (42) of over 2.8 million 0 to 24-year-olds with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests between March 2020 and December 2020 confirmed very low hospitalization rates and ICU admissions in children under 18 years. While hospitalization and ICU rates were slightly increased for the 0-4 year and older teen age groups, the mortality rate was virtually zero across all age groups…. The risk of dying of COVID-19 in US children 0-4 years is 0.34 per 100,000, and for children 5-14 years it is 0.16 per 100,000. (43) In contrast, the risk of dying from influenza during the 2018-19 flu season in children 0-4 years of age was 1.3 per 100,000, and in children 5-17 years that number was 0.4 per 100,000. (44)’
7. Some kids do get very, very sick. In March 2020, Dr. Song’s 8 year old son exhibited signs and symptoms of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). She treated him with an integrative and functional medicine approach(discussed in her prior article). She notes, ‘…However, the overall risk of death from MIS-C in any child with COVID-19 infection is 0.0009%. And fortunately, even with SARS-CoV-2 variants on the rise, there does not appear to be an increase in the rate of MIS-C.’
8. Dr. Song addresses the potential for long-hauler kids. ‘Of great concern are the reports of ongoing neurologic and psychiatric symptoms in children with acute COVID-19 or MIS-C, including severe tics (60) and new neurologic deficits.’ She believes ‘…there is an urgent need to identify which children are at risk for Long COVID, the underlying pathophysiology, and how to heal from Long COVID to prevent a potential lifetime of disability. ‘ …In [her] mind, the prevention of Long COVID may be one of the most compelling arguments in favor of a COVID-19 vaccine for children – IF COVID-19 vaccines can be proven to prevent Long COVID.
9. ‘…It should be made clear to parents that we have only a few months of short-term safety data, and no long-term safety data, upon which to base our decision for our kids for the currently available COVID-19 vaccines.
10. ‘…While the potential risk for post-vaccine myocarditis in children is concerning, myocarditis is also a known complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children. (68) Both the risks for myocarditis post-vaccine and post-infection are low, but we don’t yet know which risk is lower. And there is no data comparing long-term cardiac complications in children suffering from myocarditis, whether due to infection or immunization.’
11. 11. ‘[Dr. Song’s] concern for children, and those with prior infection who receive a vaccine, is that theoretically, this stronger immune response could increase the risk of a dysregulated inflammatory response and serious adverse vaccine events, like myocarditis. [She] believe[s] that children, teens and adults with known prior SARS-CoV-2 infection should not receive the COVID-19 vaccine until further investigation.’

Dr. Song asks probative questions toward the end of her article. She asks…:

‘Are there other potential short-term and long-term complications of COVID-19 vaccines in children?

She answers:

‘The truth is – we don’t know …

Those who tell you that the vaccine is safe and effective and there are no risks for long-term serious adverse events may be right, but they could be wrong.

Those who tell you that the vaccine is not safe or effective, and has too many risks for long-term serious events may be right, but they could be wrong.’

Dr. Song concludes:

‘While this bit of uncertainty may be acceptable in authorizing emergency use of a vaccine for high-risk populations, it is not necessarily justified for children, the vast majority of whom have mild illness and survive.’

To read Dr. Song’s article in detail click the link below.