Is COVID-19 Vaccine Safe for Kids? Children Who Accidentally Received Doses Suffer Hypertension, Heart Issues, Other Side Effects

Parents from Indiana claim that their children were mistakenly given adult doses of the COVID-19 vaccine instead of the flu shot. They told WFIE that on October 4, their family went to Walgreens to get influenza jabs but the pharmacist gave doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to all four of them, including their five-year-old daughter and four-year-old son.

Pfizer-BioNTech is only approved to give their COVID-19 mRNA vaccine to ages 16 and above and is authorized to administer it to ages 12 to 15. The company has already submitted its application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization in kids between five to 11 years old.

Children Accidentally Given Adult Doses of COVID-19

Alexandra and Joshua Price said that their two children were accidentally given adult doses of the COVID-19 vaccine that they are now experiencing the side effects of the jabs.

Alexandra said that they were not aware of the mistake not until they received a call from a Walgreens employee. Since they have already received a second dose of the vaccine last April 2021, they are not concerned for themselves for receiving an extra dose. However, they are concerned about what this could mean for their children.

The family said that their children have been exhibiting symptoms, such as fever, coughs, hypertension, and heart issues. The cardiologist said that their daughter is having higher blood pressure than normal, while their son is experiencing faster heart rate or a condition called tachycardia.

COVID-19 Vaccine for Kids: When and Where Will it Be Available?

According to Healthline, Pfizer-BioNTech has applied for an emergency authorization use for their COVID-19 mRNA vaccine for kids between five and 11. The FDA's vaccine advisory committee has announced that they will discuss the application in October 26 to decide whether to approve it for this age group.

Then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will convene on November 2 and 3 to review the data on the COVID-19 vaccine to make recommendations on who should be eligible to receive the vaccine.

If all goes well, the federal government could start shipping 20 million doses within days after the approval of the emergency authorization use.

The Washington Post reported that the federal government has purchased enough doses to fully vaccinate 28 million children in the US that are five to 11 years old. They would likely distribute the to states based on the number of eligible children. but unlike adults, kids may not have to go to vaccination centers because their physicians could administer the doses.

There was also a proposal to give children smaller doses than adults. The final decision will be decided by the FDA and CDC. But smaller doses could make shipment and vaccination for kids easier.

Is COVID-19 Vaccine Safe for Kids?

According to the CDC, the COVID-19 vaccine could also cause some side effects on children but these are normal signs that their body is building protection against the virus.

Children could get pain, redness, and swelling o the arm where they got their shot. But they could also experience tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea.

These side effects could affect them to do daily activities but they should go away after a few days. On the other hand, there are some kids who would also not develop some side effects.

In case they experience side effects, parents could ask their kid's doctor for advice on using a non-aspirin for a pain reliever and some tips on what to do at home. The CDC notes that it is not recommended to take a pain reliever before getting vaccinated.

Check out more news and information on COVID-19 Vaccines on Science Times.