COVID Vaccination Drive For 12-14 Age Group: Here's All You Need To Know About Side Effects And Symptoms

The vaccination drive for children aged 12-14 is underway in India. It has brought some relief to parents who were worried about the safety of their children post the re-opening of schools as newer strains of COVID-19 continue to cause outbreaks across the globe. Despite the vaccines, parents are worried that multiple vaccines will overload their child’s immune system, but one shouldn’t forget that children are exposed to hundreds of germs every day. A common cold or sore throat will put a greater burden on the child’s immune system than any vaccine. Notably, children are far more likely to be hurt by a vaccine-preventable disease than by a vaccine.

Parents should understand that all vaccines go through rigorous safety testing, and clinical trials, before they are approved for the public. Only when the vaccines go through rigorous quality and safety standards, they are inoculated to common people. Experts have also given a green signal to parents to get their child inoculated, except if they are down with fever. Head of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit in Fortis Hospitals, Dr Yogesh Kumar Gupta told Hindustan Times that vaccinating the susceptible population is the only way to break the cycle of COVID transmission. “Once we get vaccine immunity or herd immunity, it will prevent recurrent or severe Covid infection,” he said.

The health expert mentioned that though there are no specific precautions one should take, it is advised that children down with viral infection or any fever wait for one to two weeks before going for vaccination. Gupta further stated that “if the child is on any kind of blood thinners, they need to discuss it with their pediatrician beforehand and accordingly plan for the vaccination.”

Talking about the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine on kids, the expert said that children can experience low-grade fever, flu-like symptoms or pain at the injection site. Some uncommon symptoms can be giddiness or anaphylaxis (allergic) reaction,” added the doctor.

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