New Corona Child Vaccine Rate Adverse Reactions Effectiveness?

Currently, a virus called BA.5, which is one of the Omicron strains of the new coronavirus and is easy to spread, is spreading.

Against this backdrop, in August 2022, a group of national experts decided on a policy of requiring parents to make efforts to ensure that children aged 5 to 11 are also vaccinated. rice field.

What is the "obligation to make efforts"?

What are the benefits of getting vaccinated?

We have compiled new data so that children and parents can think together.

(As of August 31, 2022)

Q: What do you mean by children's vaccine ′′ effort obligation ′′?

In August 2022, a group of national experts decided to make vaccination a ``obligation to make efforts'' after gathering data on the efficacy and safety of the new coronavirus vaccine for children.

Vaccines for the new coronavirus for children aged 5 to 11 began in Japan in February 2022. However, due to the lack of sufficient data, it was postponed to make vaccination for 5 to 11 years old a "obligation to make an effort".

"Obligation to make efforts" means that parents must make efforts to ensure that their children are vaccinated.

However, there is no coercion or punishment, and it is up to the individual and their parents to decide whether to vaccinate.

Vaccines such as measles, chicken pox, and Japanese encephalitis, which babies receive as routine vaccinations, are also obligated to make efforts.

Q: Hit?

not hit?

how to judge

Even if it becomes a "obligation to make an effort", it is important to think carefully about the benefits and risks of vaccination together at home, and to consider whether it is better to vaccinate or not.

The situation differs from person to person and from family to family.

The important thing is to compare "the good things that could happen from vaccination = benefits" and "the bad things that might happen from vaccination = risks" and think about which one is bigger.

Benefits of getting a vaccine include, for example

, preventing yourself from being infected with the new coronavirus and becoming seriously ill, preventing

the spread of infection to people around

you, and being able to spend time at school with peace of

mind.

Risks that may occur by hitting the vaccine

▽ Unwanted body reactions and side reactions may occur after hitting.

(U.S. CDC = Center for Disease Control materials)

Q: What are childhood vaccines?

Currently, the new corona vaccine that is used in Japan for children aged 5 to 11 is a vaccine made by the American drug company Pfizer, and it is injected twice three weeks apart.

Children's vaccines contain one-third the amount of components that work in the body as adult vaccines.

Vaccines are effective because a mechanism called "immunity" works to fight and defeat viruses and bacteria that enter from the outside.

In more detail, the corona vaccine contains a substance called "messenger RNA", which is the blueprint for the spiked part called "spike protein" on the surface of the virus.

When a vaccine is injected, a 'spike protein' is created in the body based on this blueprint.

The "spike protein" is a component of the virus.

Then, with this as a mark, the immune system works to create substances called "antibodies" that serve as weapons to attack the virus.

By doing this, you will be able to fight the new coronavirus when it really enters your body.

When you are not vaccinated and get infected, "immunity" tries to fight by creating "antibodies" that match the shape of the new coronavirus.

However, it may not be possible to make enough "antibodies" in time, or there may be too many enemies and you may not be able to fight as much as you expected.

For this reason, symptoms such as coughing and feeling sluggish may appear, and in some cases, it may become severe.

If you hit the vaccine, you will be able to make a weapon "antibody" when fighting the new corona in advance.

By preparing to fight when the virus really hits, you will be able to reduce the chances of getting infected, developing symptoms, or becoming severely ill.

Q: How many children are vaccinated?

About half a year has passed since the start of vaccination against the new coronavirus for children aged 5 to 11 in Japan.

As of August 29, approximately 1.46 million children had received two doses of the vaccine.

There are about 7.41 million children aged 5 to 11 nationwide, so this is 19.7%, or about one in five.

(From the Prime Minister's Office website)

Overseas, there are countries where vaccines for children started earlier than Japan.

Children aged 5 to 11 who received two doses of the vaccine were, for example

, 30.5%, or 3 in 10, in the United States as of August 24,

and 42.4%, or 10 in Canada, as of August 14. There are 4 people in

Q: How many children are infected?

About 2,268,000 children under the age of 10 were infected in the two years since the new corona infection began.

In particular, the number of people infected with the new corona has increased rapidly since the virus "BA.5" spread.

In the week ending August 23, there were approximately 1.58 million infected people nationwide, from babies to adults.

Of these, children under the age of 10 are about 158,000, or about 10%.

About 1 in 10 people are infected.

(From Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare data)

Q: What happens if a child is infected?

Even if infected with Corona, most of the children have mild symptoms.

However, since the Omicron strain became prevalent, the number of children dying has increased.

Until December 2021, before the outbreak of the Omicron strain, there were 0 deaths under the age of 10 and 3 deaths in the teens.

Between January 2022 and August 23, 2022, when the Omicron strain became prevalent, 15 people under the age of 10 and 11 people in their teens died.

(From data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)

As the Omicron strain spreads and the number of people infected increases, there are children who have severe symptoms even if they do not have an "underlying disease" that tends to become severe when infected with the new coronavirus, such as the original disease. There are also studies that show it's happening.

A group (Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine) made up of doctors who specialize in the treatment of patients with severe symptoms is a medical institution nationwide that has facilities for children to be hospitalized from March 10, 2022 to August 15, 2022. We investigated the severity of symptoms of patients under the age of 20 (mainly high school students and younger) who were infected with the corona virus and whether they had any underlying illnesses.

As a result, a total of 220 people were registered as ``moderate'' or ``severe'' because they needed oxygen to help them breathe or wore a device called a ventilator.

Of these, 70 had the original illness, which is said to make symptoms more severe, less than one-third of the total.

About two-thirds of the others had no such disease.

Looking at these 220 people by age,

▽ 15% are under 1 year old, ▽

43.6% are children over 1 year old before entering school,

▽ 32.7% are elementary school students

, ▽ 4.1% are junior high school

students, ▽ 4.5% are high school students and above. Children

of

elementary school age or younger accounted for more than 90%.

The group also looked at detailed symptoms of those who became more severely ill.

Of the 131 people whose symptoms became severe between June 26, 2022 and August 28, 2022, which is considered to be the seventh wave of infection, the most common was

▽ Brain swelling and impaired consciousness. 26% for "acute encephalopathy",

20.6% for pneumonia,

and 16.8% for convulsion.

In addition, 79 people, or about 60%, needed treatment in the intensive care unit.

(According to a survey by the Japanese Society of Intensive Care Medicine)

Furthermore, there are more and more fevers.

Groups such as the National Center for Child Health and Development targeted approximately 850 people under the age of 18 who were infected with the new coronavirus and were hospitalized at medical institutions nationwide. And, from January to March 2022, when the Omicron strain spread, we investigated what kind of differences in symptoms.

As a result, it was found that 19.6% of people aged 2 to 12 years with a fever of 38 degrees or higher had a fever of 38 degrees or higher during the Delta strain period, but increased to 39.3% during the Omicron strain period.

Q: How effective is the vaccine?

what can be prevented?

First of all, the vaccine is expected to be effective in preventing the symptoms of the new corona.

Pfizer, an American drug company that is making vaccines in 2021, examined the effectiveness of vaccines in children aged 5 to 11 and found that after more than 7 days after two shots, symptoms of the new corona. The effect of preventing the appearance of was 90.7%.

It is known that the new type of coronavirus, the Omicron strain, which is currently spreading, is less effective than before.

In a paper published by an Israeli researcher, when examining the infection status of children aged 5 to 11 who were vaccinated after November 2021, when the Omicron strain was spreading, they found that they had been vaccinated twice for more than 7 days. After a short period of time, it was 48% effective in preventing symptoms from appearing.

(Announced in the medical journal "New England Journal of Medicine" on July 21 by the Israeli health insurance organization "Klarit" and others)

Another purpose of vaccines is to prevent symptoms from becoming severe.

A paper published by American researchers found that two doses of the vaccine in children aged 5 to 11 were 68% more effective in preventing severe illness even with the Omicron strain.

Most of the children who became seriously ill were not vaccinated.

(Presented in the medical journal "New England Journal of Medicine" on March 30 by the US CDC, etc.) In

a study conducted in Singapore, when children aged 5 to 11 were vaccinated twice, Omicron strain However, the effect of preventing hospitalization is 82.7%.

One dose of the vaccine was 42.3% effective in preventing hospitalization.

(Announced in the medical journal "New England Journal of Medicine" on July 20 by the University of Singapore, etc.)

Although it is difficult to completely prevent infection with a vaccine, it has been confirmed that the Omicron strain is effective in preventing severe symptoms that require hospitalization.

Q: What are the side effects after getting the vaccine?

Side effects may occur after vaccination.

When your body's "immunity" learns what the virus is, you may have a fever or soreness in the vaccinated area.

What are the specific side effects?

According to a study by Pfizer, 74% of children aged 5 to 11

had pain at

the injection site after the first injection, or about 7 out of 10 children.

The second injection was 71%, which was also about 7 out of 10 people.

▽ 34% of people felt tired

after the first injection, about 3 out of 10 people.

The second injection was 39%, about 4 out of 10 people.

▽ The number of people who had a fever of 38 degrees or higher was

3%, or about 3 out of 100 people, at the first injection.

The second injection was 7%, about 7 out of 100 people.

Most people experience symptoms such as pain at the site of vaccination and difficulty in raising their arms, but these symptoms subside within a day or two.

(From a paper published by Pfizer in the medical journal "New England Journal of Medicine") In

Japan as well, data are being collected on the symptoms of children after being vaccinated.

A research group at the National Hospital Organization Mie Hospital is investigating changes in physical condition after vaccination, mainly in people in Mie Prefecture.

Of these, we will introduce the main physical changes that children aged 5 to 9 felt the day after the injection.

Those who had a fever of 37 degrees 5 minutes or more were 2.4% in 5 out of 209 people in the first injection, and 13.9% in 19 out of 137 people in the second injection.

For the first injection, 10 out of 209 people (4.8%) felt sluggish, and for the second injection, 24 out of 137 people (17.5%).

For the first injection, 91 out of 209 people (43.5%) had pain at the site of vaccination, and for the second injection, 62 out of 137 people (45.2%).

(Data updated on August 31)

Hideki Suga, a pediatrician and deputy director of Mie Hospital, said, ``It doesn't seem to be much different from other vaccines, such as the influenza and MR vaccines (measles and rubella vaccines) that children usually get. Unlike the vaccine for adults, the dose is small, so I think there are few side effects."

Q: Are there any serious side effects?

In rare cases, it is known that some people develop "myocarditis" or "pericarditis," in which the heart muscle becomes swollen and difficult to move after being vaccinated.

In Japan, the number of suspected myocarditis and pericarditis among those who received vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 from February to July 2022 has been summarized.

After the first injection, there were 4 reports of suspected myocarditis and 3 reports of suspected pericarditis

. After the second injection, there were 4 reports of suspected myocarditis and suspected pericarditis. There were no reports of

At this point, the first injection was about 1.4 million times, the second injection was about 1.3 million times, and the rate of suspected myocarditis or pericarditis was about 2 to 3 cases per 1 million times. That is.

Within a few days after vaccination, the government wants you to see a medical institution immediately if you have symptoms that may be suspected of myocarditis or pericarditis, such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, or palpitations. and

(From the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Adverse Reactions Study Group)

In the United States, children are vaccinated before Japan, so we are investigating many side effects.

Between the ages of 5 and 11 years, the incidence of "myocarditis" in

boys was 0 per million for the first injection and 4.3 for the second injection.

In girls, there were too few data for the first injection, but two injections per million for the second injection.

Both had mild injuries and recovered.

Also, according to reports from the United States, there were two children who died after being vaccinated, but both of them were originally sick and were in poor health before they were vaccinated.

There is no data to show that they died by hitting the vaccine.

(From CDC briefing materials)

Q: 3rd inoculation, for children?

12 years and older have already started the third injection.

Also on August 30, a group of national experts decided to allow children aged 5 to 11 to receive a third injection.

Regarding the third injection, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare plans to wait at least five months after the second injection, just like adults.

We will decide later when to start the third injection.

Tetsuo Nakayama, a specially appointed professor at Kitasato University who is a pediatrician and is familiar with vaccines, said about the third injection for children aged 5 to 11, ``Vaccine immunity cannot be guaranteed with one or two vaccinations. , and more than 2 doses of vaccines such as Japanese encephalitis and hepatitis B. For children, if they receive 2 doses of the new corona vaccine, they can develop basic immunity. will need a third dose," he said.

Q: Is it scary because the corona vaccine is new?

The new corona vaccine is the world's first new technology vaccine that uses "Messenger RNA".

"Messenger RNA" has been studied for more than 30 years in hopes of using it to cure disease.

"Messenger RNA" is a substance that breaks down quickly, and it will be decomposed and lost in a few days after hitting the vaccine.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare also states that it does not remain in the body and cause adverse effects.

Also, it is considered unlikely that vaccines will cause disease decades later.

On the other hand, in addition to the "messenger RNA vaccine", there are other "recombinant protein vaccines" that are injected by artificially making virus components, and "inactivated vaccines" that are injected by processing the real virus to eliminate its toxicity. There are also domestic companies that are developing vaccines for the type.

Some people say that these technologies have been used in vaccines for a long time and are safe.

How should we think about it?

Professor Tetsuo Nakayama of Kitasato University, a pediatrician who is researching vaccines, said, "Scientifically, messenger RNA vaccines are expected to be effective in building basic immunity. I can understand the desire to get a vaccine, but it's still in the early stages of development, and it's unclear when it will be available as a vaccine for children. There is," he said.

Q: What do experts think?

ワクチンを打ったほうがいいのか、打たなくてもいいのか、専門家はどう考えているのでしょうか。

小児科の医師などでつくる学会（日本小児科学会）は2022年8月、5歳から17歳のすべての子どもに対してワクチンの接種を推奨すると発表しました。

その理由について、
▽オミクロン株が流行するようになってから脳症や心筋炎などの重い症状になる子どもが増えていること、
▽世界各国の大規模な研究でオミクロン株を含めた変異ウイルスに対しても症状が重くなるのを防ぐことが確認されたこと、
▽ワクチンの安全性についてのデータが国内でも集まってきて副反応が起きる割合は12歳から17歳では若い大人と同じくらい、5歳から11歳ではより低いことが分かったことなどをあげています。

でも5歳から11歳の子ども用ワクチンを2回接種した人は、2022年8月29日時点で19.7％とほかの世代より低くなっています。

Professor Akihiko Saito of Niigata University, a director of the Japan Pediatric Society, commented on the reason for this, saying, ``At the time when the epidemic of the new coronavirus began, children were less likely to be infected, and even if they were infected, they had no symptoms or had mild symptoms, so there was an impression that vaccines were not necessary. I think that has had a big impact,” he said.

On top of that, ``Since this year, the Omicron strain has become prevalent, and the situation has changed dramatically.The number of infected children has increased significantly, and the number of cases in which healthy children become seriously ill is increasing.I am actually a healthy girl. was infected with the new coronavirus and died of encephalopathy.My parents regretted, 'Why didn't they get vaccinated?'

Professor Saito said, ``The purpose of vaccination is the same as that of a child seat when riding in a car.I think that a child seat is worn to prevent serious injury in the event of an accident. So, the purpose is to prevent the infection from becoming severe. The vaccine can be given with peace of mind, even if you look at the data so far, so it is important to prevent the disease from becoming severe and prevent the loss of life." was talking