Now that Israel's pediatric coronavirus vaccine campaign is in full swing, our battle against the pandemic is no longer a gamble.
This week saw a lot of discussion in the media on the balance between maintaining the children's routine by keeping schools open and the "increasing the burden on medical staff." The country's medical teams have been on the frontline day and night for the past two years, working to save every patient they are asked to treat. And although there are periods when the pandemic subsides, the workload never truly eases.
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A child receives her coronavirus vaccine at a school in the northern Arab town of Bu'eine Nujeidat
(Photo: Efi Shrir)
Looking at this balance of considerations, we're missing on crucial point: the moment a child is vaccinated, he is not only protected against the infection and illness from coronavirus, but also against problems like loss of school days and unnecessary quarantines.
As a pediatrician, when there is an effective tool that can prevent a child from becoming sick, there is no reason to look elsewhere.
Coronavirus can be dangerous to children, both whilst being sick and in some cases, long after.
Long COVID, also known as post-COVID-19 syndrome, affects one in every 100 kids, while pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS) affects one in every 2,500 children. This is something that can greatly affect a child's life.
After all, the vaccine was recommended for children after the world's highest-ranking health experts mulled every possible side effect.
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A healthworker preparing a dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine
(Photo: Yoav Dudkevich)
The new Omicron coronavirus variant is spreading around the world at a worrying pace. Thanks to rapid decision-making, it is still under control in Israel. Clinical trials show the vaccine is still the most effective tool against the new strain - the basic two doses for children and an additional booster shot for adults.
It should be remembered that it takes about five weeks for children to reach a sufficient level of protection against the virus after the administration of the first vaccine dose. During that time, the virus has the upper hand.
So far, over five million children in the U.S. have received their first dose and about two million their second. Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the CDC, said in an interview that no abnormal side effects were observed in children who had received the vaccine.
In Israel, over 100,000 children have also been vaccinated with the first dose.
A survey by the Maccabi Health Services found that only 20% of parents reported side-effects such as weakness, fatigue or headaches - which all said were gone within a day of the shot - after getting the jab.
In a number of published studies, it has been observed that there is no evidence that the vaccine harms fertility - as has been rumored - while myocarditis is very rare, and actually much more common as a complication of virus itself, proving the vaccine's safety.
In conclusion, not every disease is preventable, but the one which are, must be prevented at all cost.
Stay away from "fake news", go to your doctors and pediatricians to get reliable information about the vaccine, and protect your children.
Dr. Lior Hecht is a pediatrician at Maccabi Health Services and a member of the Health Ministry's information staff