Dilemmas and options for COVID-19 vaccination in children

Italian Journal of Pediatrics

Review

Shiheng Zhu¹  Jianing Li²  Jingzhi Wen²  Changqing Sun²  Shungeng Zhang³  Ziteng Zhang³  Adan Li³  Xiaoan Du³  Liyuan Yang³  Shengyun Shen³ 

[1] Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 250012, Jinan, China;Department of Paediatrics, Yantai Yeda Hospital, 264006, Yantai, Shandong, China;Jining Medical University, 272067, Jining, Shandong, China;

关键词: COVID-19;    Children;    Vaccination;    Omicron;    Vaccine effectiveness;    Bivalent vaccine;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13052-023-01513-9

 received in 2023-06-25, accepted in 2023-08-19,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Over 16 million children have been detected positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the United States since the outbreak of the pandemic. In general, children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 tend to have lighter symptoms than adults. However, in some cases, the infection can develop into severe forms, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Moreover, long-term public health preventive interventions have had some negative effects on the physical and mental health of children. Given the important role that vaccination plays in reducing severe illness and mortality, it is essential for the efficient implementation of vaccination in the pediatric population. Nevertheless, parental distrust of vaccination, especially with regard to its safety and efficacy, hinders this process. Herein, we comprehensively summarize the available data on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine in children. The results show that the currently approved COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for children. Although two doses of vaccine in children seem insufficient to prevent Omicron infection, the booster dose provides enhanced protection against infection and severe illness. Most importantly, the bivalent vaccine has been approved for use in the pediatric population to extend the immune response to currently circulating Omicron variant. And the immune protection afforded to newborns after maternal vaccination appears to last only 6 months. Therefore, in the current situation where the rate of virus mutation is accelerating and the COVID-19 pandemic is still severe, it is crucial to extend vaccine protection to children over 6 months of age to weave a tighter safety net.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Società Italiana di Pediatria 2023