Infection
Here’s what to know about fall vaccines for kids
Here’s what to know about fall vaccines for kids
Updated: 5:32 PM EDT Sep 14, 2023
MONDAY. MARIA. ED. ALL RIGHT. WE KNOW YOU’LL KEEP AN EYE ON THAT. THANK YOU, DAVID. FIVE ON YOUR HEALTH TONIGHT, UPDATED BOOSTER SHOTS FOR COVID 19 ARE NOW ARRIVING AT PHARMACIES. HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT, SOME ADVICE FOR PARENTS. DOCTOR KRISTA MOFFATT, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL. ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR. DOCTOR MOFFATT, GREAT TO SEE YOU. SO THE NEW BOOSTER PROTECTS FROM SERIOUS SYMPTOMS, BUT NOT INFECTIONS. KIDS ARE ALREADY AT. CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG, BUT KIDS ARE ALREADY AT A LOW RISK FOR SERIOUS SYMPTOMS. SO WHY IS THE CDC SAYING THAT THEY STILL NEED THE SHOTS? YEAH, THAT CDC RECOMMENDATION IS REALLY BASED ON A FEW THINGS. FIRST, IT IS TRUE THAT A COVID INFECTION IS A FAIRLY LOW RISK INFECTION FOR MOST CHILDREN. IT’S NOT A NO RISK INFECTION. WE KNOW THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN HAVE NEEDED TO BE HOSPITALIZED FOR COVID AND HUNDREDS HAVE DIED FROM COVID, AND DATA HAVE NOW DEMONSTRATED THAT MANY OF THESE CHILDREN WITH THE SERIOUS OUTCOMES FROM COVID INFECTION, DID NOT HAVE ANY UNDERLYING CONDITIONS THAT WOULD HAVE PUT THEM IN ONE OF THOSE HIGHER RISK CATEGORIES. WE ALSO KNOW THAT POST COVID COMPLICATIONS LIKE LONG COVID OR MIS-C ABSOLUTELY OCCUR IN CHILDREN. AND WE KNOW THAT VACCINATION CAN HELP TO REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF ALL OF THESE OUTCOMES FROM COVID INFECTION IN CHILDREN. SO WE ALSO KNOW THAT YEAH, THAT JUST THAT IMMUNITY FROM EITHER PRIOR INFECTION OR FROM VACCINATION, IT WANES OVER TIME. THIS RECENTLY AUTHORIZED VACCINE IS UPDATED TO BETTER MATCH THE CURRENTLY CIRCULATING STRAINS. SO IT’S A GOOD CHANCE TO ENHANCE YOUR IMMUNITY TO THOSE STRAINS. SO BOTH MODERNA AND PFIZER ARE OFFERING THESE UPDATED BOOSTERS SO HOW DO FAMILIES CHOOSE A BRAND? WHAT ARE YOU TELLING FAMILIES IF THEY ASK YOU THAT? I’M TELLING FAMILIES TO REALLY GET WHICHEVER ONE IS GOING TO BE BEST FOR THEM IN TERMS OF GETTING IT SCHEDULED. SOME FAMILIES WILL HAVE MORE COMFORT WITH THE BRAND THEY’VE ALREADY RECEIVED, AND THAT’S FINE. BUT OTHERWISE IT REALLY SHOULD BE EITHER ONE THAT WORKS FOR THEM. DR. MOFFAT I KNOW THERE I’VE HEARD IT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE TIME. YOU GOT A LOT OF TIMING THINGS IN FRONT OF YOU, RIGHT? YOU GOT THE COVID BOOSTER COMING, THEN YOU GOT THE FLU SHOT COMING. AND IF YOU DON’T MIND A PERSONAL QUESTION, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR FAMILY ON THIS ON THIS FRONT? YEAH, SURE. MY FAMILY, WE HAVE NOT HAD EITHER A COVID VACCINE OR A COVID INFECTION IN MANY, MANY, MANY MONTHS. SO AND THERE’S A LOT OF COVID CIRCULATING RIGHT NOW. TRANSMISSION IS DEFINITELY INCREASING. IT PROBABLY WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE. SO WE’RE GOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE RECENTLY AUTHORIZED AND UPDATED VACCINES. IS THERE A BETTER FIT FOR THE CURRENTLY CIRCULATING STRAIN? SO WE WILL GET THOSE AS SOON AS WE CAN. OUR FLU VACCINES, WE WILL BE GETTING SOMETIME PROBABLY IN LATE OCTOBER, UNLESS WE GET INDICATION THAT THERE IS INCREASE IN FLU ACTIVITY THAT’S EARLIER THAN EXPECTED, BUT WE HAVEN’T SEEN THAT YET FOR FLU. ALL RIGHT, DR. MOFFITT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WI
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Here’s what to know about fall vaccines for kids
Updated: 5:32 PM EDT Sep 14, 2023
Dr. Kristin Moffitt, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital, on fall vaccines
Dr. Kristin Moffitt, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital, on fall vaccines
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