LG Pediatrician Talks About Kids’ COVID Vaccines

Now that COVID vaccines have been approved for kids aged five-up, parents understandibly have a lot of questions.

We asked La Grange pediatrician Dr. Crystal Banks for her thoughts:

“I fully support and recommend the COVID-19 vaccine in children. The Pfizer mRNA COVID vaccine is, quite honestly, very impressive science. It is also very safe science. Basically, a piece of mRNA is delivered into the body encased in a lipid molecule. That mRNA is what is responsible for allowing cells to produce a protein that is found on the surface of the COVID-19 virus. The immune system is then able to recognize that protein and produce antibodies. The mRNA cannot get into the nucleus of the cell, no mRNA has access there, therefore it does not have any interaction with DNA. That is a question I have received quite a bit from parents. Regarding potential side effects, out of the pilot study of over 3,000 children who have received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, none had myocarditis, which is the cardiac inflammation that is seen with a small percentage of teens after receiving the vaccine and even larger percentage of teens who get COVID-19. The side effects were more common after the second dose and are broken down as follows: fever 28%, fatigue 10%, headache 11%, vomiting/diarrhea 1%, muscle aches 5%, joint aches 4%.

“I do believe that the COVID-19 illness is around for the long haul. Whether the vaccine ends up being recommended like a yearly flu shot or is more akin to something like the tetanus vaccine where a patient gets several in a row spaced a few months apart and then every 10 years, I think that is less clear, at least to me. But the bottom line is, I don’t think the threat of COVID-19 illness is going to go away completely, especially not with unvaccinated people in the mix. I do firmly believe that the vaccine is a safe and effective way of protecting children and allowing some normalcy to return to the way we live life.

“If it helps, my three children are within the 5-11 age range and have now had their first dose.”