12-15 year olds vaccine experiences

[KSera]

50 minutes ago, JennyD said:

I must say, as enthusiastic as i am about these mRNA vaccines, normally i would not be first in line to get my kids a brand-new vaccine

This would usually be me as well. The calculus is completely different with this one though. It’s one thing to hold off on HPV or something, that doesn’t pose an immediate threat and isn’t spreading in pandemic fashion. This is completely different though, and there are a lot more diseases with long term effects than there are vaccines, so assuming the safety profile is as good or better than it is in adults, this is a clear choice for is. My kid in this age group was so excited to hear this news. Will make a HUGE difference for Summer and Fall. 
eta:  rereading, this comes off like I’m responding to or trying to convince you, Jenny D. I didn’t mean it that way, your post was just a jumping off point for me, as I feel the same way.

36 minutes ago, BaseballandHockey said:

So, this is obviously great for our country, and for the world if it brings numbers down and maybe means less variants.

But on a personal level, this timing is huge for us.  My SIL's baby is due in 8 weeks.  My 13 year old is so excited about that baby.  He loves baby, but also he just wants something to happen that is all good.  My SIL has been saying that those of us who are vaccinated can probably hold the baby but she needs to "wait and see" about people who are unvaccinated, and it's made him so sad.  

But now, if he gets it right away?  3 weeks plus 2, he could be fully vaccinated when the baby arrives!!!!

So, if you needed another reason to smile, just imagine my sweet boy, and that sweet baby. 

Fortunately, my 10 year old is really not that excited about holding babies.  So, we shouldn't have too much jealousy.  

This post made me tear up. I’m so happy for your ds13 🥰. 

Edited May 3, 2021 by KSera

[kbutton]

Hallelujah! That will complete the vaccines for our family.

I hope I can get my son in someplace with flexible scheduling for the second dose or that it will work out automatically--we're trying to see vaccinated grandparents in June, and it's already been too long, and it's getting harder and harder to schedule for other life reasons.

[JennyD]

41 minutes ago, Katy said:

So the science is 20+ years in the making,

Yes, I've read this as well.  And I find it exceptionally irritating that after years of doing less than nothing to support the woman who pioneered this research, the University of Pennsylvania is now all, ooh, look at us and our amazing scientists who are saving the world!  You DEMOTED her, a**h***s!!  

Ahem.  I digress.  

 

 

[Katy]

2 minutes ago, JennyD said:

Yes, I've read this as well.  And I find it exceptionally irritating that after years of doing less than nothing to support the woman who pioneered this research, the University of Pennsylvania is now all, ooh, look at us and our amazing scientists who are saving the world!  You DEMOTED her, a**h***s!!  

Ahem.  I digress.  

 

 

I didn’t know that. Thanks for sharing. 

[JennyD]

The NYT is now reporting the same, that approval will likely come later this week or early next week.  

[momto3innc]

Thrilled for this for my 13 and 15 year olds. Then we are DONE and everyone is vaccinated in our house. I’d be thrilled for that for the summer. My 15 yo is the highest risk in our house. Little nervous for the 13yo...she does tend to react strongly to shots (not terrible...just more than her brothers and enough to be noted). 
We have an older at risk relative who is not getting the shots so I feel at least better that we will all be vaccinated when we see her. 

[Syllieann]

My 12 yo cousin is super excited.  His mom drives his grandma to cancer treatment, so he hasn't been allowed around other kids since last March.  He's so relieved.  I hope the side effects are minimal for him.

[ScoutTN]

13 hours ago, Noreen Claire said:

This is good news. My DS12 will be happy to go back to basketball in the winter fully-vaccinated. This past winter was very long without a team sport.

We subbed airsoft or Ds and I would have lost our minds! Not 3-4x a week, but all day Saturday outside, every week. 

[Carrie12345]

My 14yo has been eager to be vaccinated, but he’s also INTENSELY shot-phobic. So he’s both excited and already full of anxiety. Sigh.

My poor 10yo will be the only family member left hanging.

[mommyoffive]

US Coronavirus: Vaccines are helping bring down US Covid-19 numbers. But the virus is now hitting one group of Americans harder - CNN

 

The one puzzle piece experts say is missing is getting children inoculated.

But there's good news on that front.

Pfizer expects to submit its Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 2 to 11 years old for US Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization in September, the company said during its first-quarter earnings teleconference on Tuesday. 

The pediatric safety and efficacy study in children age 6 months to 11 years old is ongoing

"We expect to have definitive readouts and submit for an EUA for two cohorts, including children age 2-5 years of age and 5-11 years of age, in September," Pfizer CEO Alert Bourla said in prepared remarks, adding that the readout and submission for children 6 months to 2 years are expected in the fourth quarter of 2021.

[Katy]

13 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

US Coronavirus: Vaccines are helping bring down US Covid-19 numbers. But the virus is now hitting one group of Americans harder - CNN

 

The one puzzle piece experts say is missing is getting children inoculated.

But there's good news on that front.

Pfizer expects to submit its Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 2 to 11 years old for US Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization in September, the company said during its first-quarter earnings teleconference on Tuesday. 

The pediatric safety and efficacy study in children age 6 months to 11 years old is ongoing

"We expect to have definitive readouts and submit for an EUA for two cohorts, including children age 2-5 years of age and 5-11 years of age, in September," Pfizer CEO Alert Bourla said in prepared remarks, adding that the readout and submission for children 6 months to 2 years are expected in the fourth quarter of 2021.

So my whole family can be safe by January. I don’t think I’ve ever felt such relief. 

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Katy said:

So my whole family can be safe by January. I don’t think I’ve ever felt such relief. 

I know, right? That would be amazing. If they did kids 5 and up in September, we might even be able to take classes... 

[wathe]

Canada approved it for 12 to 15 year olds today.  Yay!

(getting enough supply to actually vaccinate 12-15 year olds is another story.  But, one step at a time)

[catz]

My nephew is currently hospitalized with post covid MIS with heart involvement.  He is in the 12-15 age range.  Kind of over the "it doesn't affect kids" BS.  So glad this is will be coming online soon.  

[Acadie]

8 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

My nephew is currently hospitalized with post covid MIS with heart involvement.  He is in the 12-15 age range.  Kind of over the "it doesn't affect kids" BS.  So glad this is will be coming online soon.  

Sending prayers and all good energy for your nephew's recovery, @FuzzyCatz

[Not_a_Number]

22 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

My nephew is currently hospitalized with post covid MIS with heart involvement.  He is in the 12-15 age range.  Kind of over the "it doesn't affect kids" BS.  So glad this is will be coming online soon.  

Oh crud. I'm so sorry 😞. I hope he'll recover soon. 

[mommyoffive]

57 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

My nephew is currently hospitalized with post covid MIS with heart involvement.  He is in the 12-15 age range.  Kind of over the "it doesn't affect kids" BS.  So glad this is will be coming online soon.  

I am so sorry.  I am sending lots of good thoughts his way.   

Yep "it doesn't affect kids" is BS!

[mommyoffive]

Pfizer Will Seek Approval to Give Covid Vaccine to Children - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

ages 2-11

 

Canada authorized Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 - The Washington Post

[Katy]

1 hour ago, FuzzyCatz said:

My nephew is currently hospitalized with post covid MIS with heart involvement.  He is in the 12-15 age range.  Kind of over the "it doesn't affect kids" BS.  So glad this is will be coming online soon.  

I’m so sorry.  Said a prayer for him. 

[mommyoffive]

Parents Are Reluctant to Get Their Children Vaccinated for Covid-19, Poll Shows (msn.com)

[Soror]

30 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Parents Are Reluctant to Get Their Children Vaccinated for Covid-19, Poll Shows (msn.com)

If we didn't have so many adults refusing to be vaccinated this wouldn't be an issue. Hopefully, reluctance continues to decline and that combined with those that will get their children vaccinated helps our nation recover. Now the work is working on educating people and that is where we need more focus. In my state it seems my governor has just given up. Other people just don't want vaccinated, oh well. Those that are getting vaccinated are carrying the weight of our recovery. It is infuriating as all those that I've talked to locally that are refusing vaccination are also completely ignoring the virus and doing everything they can to spread it. 

[mommyoffive]

CDC director: Vaccinated adolescents can remove masks outdoors at summer camps (msn.com)

[SKL]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

Parents Are Reluctant to Get Their Children Vaccinated for Covid-19, Poll Shows (msn.com)

It looks like the poll is for all children.  I think teens are different from younger kids, and the research I've seen agrees, i.e., kids fight this bug differently from how adults fight it.  I definitely wouldn't want my young kids to get the same shot I got, at least not until there is research that proves it's the best available approach - especially since evidence indicates that young kids aren't big spreaders (and we know they don't usually get Covid symptoms to speak of).  I'm also less worried about the need to keep young kids away from at-risk, unvaccinated people, because young kids aren't in caregiving roles to such people.  I mean, it's sad if they can't hug granny a ton because granny isn't vaccinated, but I can live with that.  Little kids don't have the same social needs as teens either, and they're a lot easier to watch and control.

For myself, my 14yo daughters are more similar to adults - probably just about done growing in most ways.  And they want to be able to participate freely in group activities.  From reading experiences on here, I still think the side effects of shot#2 will be worse than Covid for them personally, but they are more or less known and not scary IMO.  They are an investment into a future without sucky quarantines, cancellations, restrictions, and nasal swabs.  I'm not ready to say the same about young kids.

I hope they're working on a different approach for young kids.  Either way, it should surprise nobody that moms aren't ready to vax young kids right now.

Edited May 6, 2021 by SKL

[Lawyer&Mom]

I’m ready to vax my young kids right now.  

[ktgrok]

1 hour ago, SKL said:

It looks like the poll is for all children.  I think teens are different from younger kids, and the research I've seen agrees, i.e., kids fight this bug differently from how adults fight it.  I definitely wouldn't want my young kids to get the same shot I got, at least not until there is research that proves it's the best available approach - especially since evidence indicates that young kids aren't big spreaders (and we know they don't usually get Covid symptoms to speak of).  I'm also less worried about the need to keep young kids away from at-risk, unvaccinated people, because young kids aren't in caregiving roles to such people.  I mean, it's sad if they can't hug granny a ton because granny isn't vaccinated, but I can live with that.  Little kids don't have the same social needs as teens either, and they're a lot easier to watch and control.

For myself, my 14yo daughters are more similar to adults - probably just about done growing in most ways.  And they want to be able to participate freely in group activities.  From reading experiences on here, I still think the side effects of shot#2 will be worse than Covid for them personally, but they are more or less known and not scary IMO.  They are an investment into a future without sucky quarantines, cancellations, restrictions, and nasal swabs.  I'm not ready to say the same about young kids.

I hope they're working on a different approach for young kids.  Either way, it should surprise nobody that moms aren't ready to vax young kids right now.

They were testing various doses in the young children study - so it won't be necessarily the same dose as adults. That is why the younger kid study is taking longer. That was the first step - determining dosage. 

The 12 and up is the same as the adult one. 

I will say, my 11 yr old needs social interaction badly right now, although yeah, my 4 year old not so much. If I can get my higher risk 8 yr old and my dying of social isolation 11 yr old vaccinated, at least they can have play dates, field trips, etc and keep my 4 yr old closer to me, away from other kids. But ideally, she gets vaccinated at the same time so she can play with the cousins (high exposure - and germ factories at the best of times), etc. 

As for spreading, we don't have a ton of info on that  compared to adults - partly because kids are MUCH less likely to ever be tested than an adult is. 

[Not_a_Number]

1 hour ago, Lawyer&Mom said:

I’m ready to vax my young kids right now.  

Me too. 

[Katy]

On 5/5/2021 at 11:14 AM, FuzzyCatz said:

My nephew is currently hospitalized with post covid MIS with heart involvement.  He is in the 12-15 age range.  Kind of over the "it doesn't affect kids" BS.  So glad this is will be coming online soon.  

How is he?  How long are they thinking he’ll be hospitalized?  Does he need surgery?

[catz]

56 minutes ago, Katy said:

How is he?  How long are they thinking he’ll be hospitalized?  Does he need surgery?

He is still in the hospital. He is getting a lot of steroids and the cardiologist is following him closely.  He is stable and doing ok though.  They are hoping he may be able to come home in the next couple days.  But I really don't know how his recovery will look after that.  He plays sports pretty seriously and it's hard to imagine that won't be off the table for a bit. 

ETA And thank you for asking!  🙂

ETA 2 - I wanted to mention this child does not have any pre-existing conditions and has never been hospitalized before.

Edited May 6, 2021 by FuzzyCatz

[Syllieann]

It looks like moderna finished phase 2 for 12-17 year olds with no serious adverse events.  That's encouraging.  I know Pfizer is using the same dosage for the 12-15 year olds as for the adults.  I can't find dosing info for moderna.  Does anyone know what dose they are using for the 12-17 yos?

[KSera]

44 minutes ago, Syllieann said:

It looks like moderna finished phase 2 for 12-17 year olds with no serious adverse events.  That's encouraging.  I know Pfizer is using the same dosage for the 12-15 year olds as for the adults.  I can't find dosing info for moderna.  Does anyone know what dose they are using for the 12-17 yos?

 I haven’t seen. I hope it’s less since as it is, it seems the dosing they used for the adult one was more than was necessary (based on Pfizer’s lower dose working). 

[mommyoffive]

Moderna says COVID-19 vaccine 96 percent effective in teens (msn.com)

[Dmmetler]

4 hours ago, SKL said:

It looks like the poll is for all children.  I think teens are different from younger kids, and the research I've seen agrees, i.e., kids fight this bug differently from how adults fight it.  I definitely wouldn't want my young kids to get the same shot I got, at least not until there is research that proves it's the best available approach - especially since evidence indicates that young kids aren't big spreaders (and we know they don't usually get Covid symptoms to speak of).  I'm also less worried about the need to keep young kids away from at-risk, unvaccinated people, because young kids aren't in caregiving roles to such people.  I mean, it's sad if they can't hug granny a ton because granny isn't vaccinated, but I can live with that.  Little kids don't have the same social needs as teens either, and they're a lot easier to watch and control.

For myself, my 14yo daughters are more similar to adults - probably just about done growing in most ways.  And they want to be able to participate freely in group activities.  From reading experiences on here, I still think the side effects of shot#2 will be worse than Covid for them personally, but they are more or less known and not scary IMO.  They are an investment into a future without sucky quarantines, cancellations, restrictions, and nasal swabs.  I'm not ready to say the same about young kids.

I hope they're working on a different approach for young kids.  Either way, it should surprise nobody that moms aren't ready to vax young kids right now.

I would tend to agree. Also, from what I've seen, the teens are the primary drivers of them getting vaccinated-THEY want it for the purpose of being able to be more active socially, having a job this summer, going to school in person in the fall if they're in an area which has been mostly remote or hybrid, etc.  My only under 12 who has commented on wanting the vaccination wants it because her 17 yr old sister (who works a public facing job and got the vaccine as soon as she was eligible) doesn't have to wear a mask at church anymore, and she doesn't want to have to wear one, either. 

[SKL]

1 minute ago, Dmmetler said:

I would tend to agree. Also, from what I've seen, the teens are the primary drivers of them getting vaccinated-THEY want it for the purpose of being able to be more active socially, having a job this summer, going to school in person in the fall if they're in an area which has been mostly remote or hybrid, etc.  My only under 12 who has commented on wanting the vaccination wants it because her 17 yr old sister (who works a public facing job and got the vaccine as soon as she was eligible) doesn't have to wear a mask at church anymore, and she doesn't want to have to wear one, either. 

Yeah - my eldest even wrote a paper about why teens should get the vaccine.  😛  My youngest will still need some more convincing, but it shouldn't be that hard.  She told me that one of their bandmates just got sent home for another 2 weeks of quarantine.  And I told my kids I'd be willing to go back to church (which they want to do) after we're vaccinated.  So hopefully she will warm up to the idea.

[RootAnn]

1 hour ago, Syllieann said:

It looks like moderna finished phase 2 for 12-17 year olds with no serious adverse events.  That's encouraging.  I know Pfizer is using the same dosage for the 12-15 year olds as for the adults.  I can't find dosing info for moderna.  Does anyone know what dose they are using for the 12-17 yos?

I can't find it now, but I thought I remember reading it was a 100 µg dose which I think is the same the adult dosage.

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/moderna-doses-adolescents-covid-19-vaccine-study-setting-it-up-to-target-2021-2022-school

Also, it looks like they are testing 50 µg and 100 µg in the 2-12 yr olds. https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-announces-first-participants-dosed-phase-23-study-0 and 25, 50, and 100 in the 6 month-2 yr olds.

[Penelope]

4 hours ago, SKL said:

It looks like the poll is for all children.  I think teens are different from younger kids, and the research I've seen agrees, i.e., kids fight this bug differently from how adults fight it.  I definitely wouldn't want my young kids to get the same shot I got, at least not until there is research that proves it's the best available approach - especially since evidence indicates that young kids aren't big spreaders (and we know they don't usually get Covid symptoms to speak of).  I'm also less worried about the need to keep young kids away from at-risk, unvaccinated people, because young kids aren't in caregiving roles to such people.  I mean, it's sad if they can't hug granny a ton because granny isn't vaccinated, but I can live with that.  Little kids don't have the same social needs as teens either, and they're a lot easier to watch and control.

For myself, my 14yo daughters are more similar to adults - probably just about done growing in most ways.  And they want to be able to participate freely in group activities.  From reading experiences on here, I still think the side effects of shot#2 will be worse than Covid for them personally, but they are more or less known and not scary IMO.  They are an investment into a future without sucky quarantines, cancellations, restrictions, and nasal swabs.  I'm not ready to say the same about young kids.

I hope they're working on a different approach for young kids.  Either way, it should surprise nobody that moms aren't ready to vax young kids right now.

I agree that the poll results might be different for 12 and up compared to younger children. I do feel differently about a 15 year old than I do about a 7 year old. Study after study shows even lower disease rate and ability to both contract and transmit in the 4 or 5 to 11 age range, too. 
I suspect more teens than children have already had Covid, too, since for a multitude of reasons, it is not as easy to keep them socially distanced. 

And there might be a psychological factor to answering no in a poll, since we know it will be a while until young children can be vaccinated, if they will be, so it feels very hypothetical compared to being able to vaccinate a teen just two weeks from now.

[KSera]

2 hours ago, RootAnn said:

I can't find it now, but I thought I remember reading it was a 100 µg dose which I think is the same the adult dosage.

https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/moderna-doses-adolescents-covid-19-vaccine-study-setting-it-up-to-target-2021-2022-school

Also, it looks like they are testing 50 µg and 100 µg in the 2-12 yr olds. https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-announces-first-participants-dosed-phase-23-study-0 and 25, 50, and 100 in the 6 month-2 yr olds.

Knowing that Pfizer is using lower doses even with their adults, I wonder why they would go with a similarly high dose for kids? Would their be any patent reason preventing them from dropping down to a level closer to the pfizer version?

[ktgrok]

1 minute ago, KSera said:

Knowing that Pfizer is using lower doses even with their adults, I wonder why they would go with a similarly high dose for kids? Would their be any patent reason preventing them from dropping down to a level closer to the pfizer version?

Changing to a lower dose would take longer to test - since if it didn't end up working they would have to start over. That's my guess. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Vote has been scheduled for next week, on the 12th.

Looks like on the timeline I saw from Friendly Epidemiologist that ped EUA is happening Decemberish? 

[Not_a_Number]

3 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Vote has been scheduled for next week, on the 12th.

Looks like on the timeline I saw from Friendly Epidemiologist that ped EUA is happening Decemberish? 

December would be quite late, sigh. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I agree. Youngest is spending at least another year home with me. 

[Not_a_Number]

6 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I agree. Youngest is spending at least another year home with me. 

My plan is to watch the numbers and do outdoor masked stuff as well as online classes. The summer in the NE seems to be very low on cases, so I'm going go utilize that this year. 

But we're certainly not "going back to normal" by any stretch of the imagination 😕 . 

[mommyoffive]

13 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Vote has been scheduled for next week, on the 12th.

Looks like on the timeline I saw from Friendly Epidemiologist that ped EUA is happening Decemberish? 

I am confused.  Are you saying that Pfizer 2-11 year olds is  now December?   You are not saying that for 12-15 year olds are you?   If it is the 2-11 that makes me so sad.  THey were thinking that was going to be Sept.

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, mommyoffive said:

I am confused.  Are you saying that Pfizer 2-11 year olds is  now December?   You are not saying that for 12-15 year olds are you?   If it is the 2-11 that makes me so sad.  THey were thinking that was going to be Sept.

I assume 2-11. And that makes me very sad, too 😞 . 

[ktgrok]

5 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

I am confused.  Are you saying that Pfizer 2-11 year olds is  now December?   You are not saying that for 12-15 year olds are you?   If it is the 2-11 that makes me so sad.  THey were thinking that was going to be Sept.

I think it will be September. They had been saying December or January, but a few days ago they said September. 

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, ktgrok said:

I think it will be September. They had been saying December or January, but a few days ago they said September. 

I really, really, really hope that's true. I am not watching "official" sources at the moment, so I'm not keeping track. 

[mommyoffive]

Just now, ktgrok said:

I think it will be September. They had been saying December or January, but a few days ago they said September. 

I hope so.  I know they were saying December and for all that time I was saying ok well that means next year.  But then they started saying Sept and that gave me so much hope.  That isn't so far away especially if rates are low this summer.

[prairiewindmomma]

Sorry for the confusion. Yes, this source was saying the 2-11 timeline is December.  I had hoped September as well. 

The vote for EUA of 12-15 is next Wednesday. As Canada already approved, I'm hopeful FDA will as well. 

[SoCal_Bear]

That is Pfizer saying that they expect to ask for approval in September. This doesn't imply anything about what the FDA or CDC would do or when they would do it. I would imagine whatever clinical trial data that will be submitted will be heavily scrutinized as this is a very young co-hort.

 

[Penelope]

52 minutes ago, calbear said:

That is Pfizer saying that they expect to ask for approval in September. This doesn't imply anything about what the FDA or CDC would do or when they would do it. I would imagine whatever clinical trial data that will be submitted will be heavily scrutinized as this is a very young co-hort.

 

If the US is doing much better by then, I do wonder about an EUA for the under 11. Will it still be an emergency, or will we have enough population immunity by then that it seems much less urgent at that time?

[ktgrok]

11 minutes ago, Penelope said:

If the US is doing much better by then, I do wonder about an EUA for the under 11. Will it still be an emergency, or will we have enough population immunity by then that it seems much less urgent at that time?

I'd love that to be true, but with schools in session everywhere then, I don't see how they wouldn't be spreading it amongst themselves, if masks are no longer a thing, etc.