Doctor explains importance of COVID-19 vaccination in kids

FENCE. HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. DANIEL KURITZKES, CHIEFF O INFECTIOUS DISEASEATS BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITA DR. KURITZKES, GOOD TOEE S YOU. >> THEY ARE CUTE KIDS. BEN: DR. KURITZKES, NOW THAT THIS IS A DONE DEAL, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT IN THE FIGHT TO FINALLY END THIS PANDEMIC? IS THIS SPTE GETTING THE 5SE TO 11-YEAR-OLDS VACCINATED? >> IT'S BECOMING IMPORTANT. LAST YEART A THE BEGINNING OF THE EPIDEMIC, IT'S TRUE THAT MOST OF THE CASES WERE IN OLDER ADULTS. THAT'S PARTLY BECAUSE KIDS WERE LOCKED AWAY AT HOME. NOW WE'RE SEEING THAT KIDS ARE REALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR FUELING THE EPIDEMIC, 10% OF CASES ACROSS THE COUNTRY HEAV OCCURRED IN YOUNG CHILDREN AND HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 20% AND 25% OF CASES ARE OCCURRGIN IN CHILDREN. ERIKA: NOW THAT KIDS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE GETTING THEIR SHOTS, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE, IN TERMS OF ANY SIDE EFFECTS OR REACONS?TI WHAT'S NORMAL? >> THE SIDE EFFECTS ARE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME WE'VE SEEN IN ADULTS. KIDS CAN EECXPT TO HAVE PAIN AT THE INJECTION SITE. THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE AND OUCH THERE. HEADACHE, SEOM MUSCLE AESCH AND PAIN AND LOW GRADE FEVER. THEY ARE LESS COMMON IN CHILDREN 5 TO 11 THAN IN OLDER CHILDREN. BEN: WE OWKN THERE ARE PARENTS WHO STILL HAVE CONCERNS ABOU THIS. REI ALLY DON'T THINK THE NUMBERS ARE HIGH IN NEW ENGLAND. WE KNOW TTHA THE FDA AND CDC HAS SIGNED OFF. BASED ON THE SIGNS, WHAT'S YOUR BEST ARGUMENT TO CONVINCE THEM TO GIVE THEIR KIDS THE ESSHOTS? >> THERE ARE COUPLE OF THING PELEOP SHOULD REALI.ZE THE NUMBER OF HOSPITALIZATIONS THAT WE'RE SEEING IN CHILDREN FROM COVID NOW IS APPROACHING WHAT WE SEE FROM FLU IN A BAD UFL YEAR. WE VACCINATE AGAINST FLU. THERE ARE ACTUALLY MEOR DEATHS FROM COVID PER YEAR IN THE LAST TWO YEARS THAN WHAT WE USED TO SEINE TERMS OF DEAS FROM BACTERIAL MENINGITIS OR GERMAN MEASLES. WE WANT KIDS TIE IN SCHOOL AND NOT BRING DISEASE HOME TO VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN THE HOUSEHOLD. ERIKA: LOOKING AHE.AD MANY FAMILIES ARE NOW IN THE MIDST OF MAKING TRAVEL PLANS FOR THE HOLIDAYS, SOMETHING WE COULDN'T REALLY DO LAST YEAR. WHAT SHOULD WE BE THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF PRECAUTIONS THAT WILL NEED TOE B TAKEN, EVEN IF EVERYONE IS VACCINATED? >> SHOULD KNOW WHERE YOUR GOING. MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE YOU WILL BE MEETING WHIT ARE VACCINATED. DON'T TRAVEL IF YOUE'R SICK. BE AWARE WHOM YOU MIGHT BE BRINGING SOMETHING BACK TO WHEN YOU RETURN IF THERERE A VULNERABLE PEOPLINE YOUR HOUSE H HOUSEHOLD. ERIKA: SHOULD BE A NICE FINALLY FEELING TO CELEBRATE WITH FAMILY, VACCINES ARE OUT THERE. THANK YOU, DR. KURIT

Health officials have hailed shots for kids ages 5 to 11 as a major breakthrough after more than 18 months of illness, hospitalizations, deaths and disrupted education.Kid-sized doses of the Pfizer vaccine cleared two final hurdles this week, a recommendation from CDC advisers, followed by a green light from Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes says getting children vaccinated is a key step in the fight to end the coronavirus pandemic. "Last year, at the beginning of the epidemic, it's true that most of the cases were in older adults, and that's partly because kids were essentially locked away at home. But now, we're seeing that kids are really responsible for fueling the epidemic," Kuritzkes said.Kuritzkes says 10% of cases across the country have occurred in young children. "Here in Massachusetts, just somewhere between 20 and 25% of cases are occurring in children and younger adolescents.""The number of hospitalizations that we're seeing in children from COVID now is approaching what we see from flu in a bad flu year, and we vaccinate against flu," Kuritzkes said. "There are actually more deaths from COVID per year in the last two years than what we used to see in terms of deaths from bacterial meningitis or German measles illnesses that we now prevent by vaccination."Kuritzkes says kids who are vaccinated can expect to have pain at the injection site, as well as possible headaches and some muscle aches and pains.Watch the full story in the video above.

Health officials have hailed shots for kids ages 5 to 11 as a major breakthrough after more than 18 months of illness, hospitalizations, deaths and disrupted education.

Kid-sized doses of the Pfizer vaccine cleared two final hurdles this week, a recommendation from CDC advisers, followed by a green light from Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes says getting children vaccinated is a key step in the fight to end the coronavirus pandemic.

"Last year, at the beginning of the epidemic, it's true that most of the cases were in older adults, and that's partly because kids were essentially locked away at home. But now, we're seeing that kids are really responsible for fueling the epidemic," Kuritzkes said.

Kuritzkes says 10% of cases across the country have occurred in young children. "Here in Massachusetts, just somewhere between 20 and 25% of cases are occurring in children and younger adolescents."

"The number of hospitalizations that we're seeing in children from COVID now is approaching what we see from flu in a bad flu year, and we vaccinate against flu," Kuritzkes said. "There are actually more deaths from COVID per year in the last two years than what we used to see in terms of deaths from bacterial meningitis or German measles illnesses that we now prevent by vaccination."

Kuritzkes says kids who are vaccinated can expect to have pain at the injection site, as well as possible headaches and some muscle aches and pains.

Watch the full story in the video above.

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