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Vaccination for children below the age of 18 has already begun in India. Over 40 lakh teenagers in the 15-18 age group received their first dose of Covid vaccine on the first day of vaccination drive for the said age group. However, many are still hesitant about vaccination and have doubts about it. There's a prevalent rumour suggesting that children don't need to get vaccinated as it doesn't harm them severely. However, this isn't true. Let's probe into this and do fact check to know more:
Myth: Children can skip getting vaccinated as they are not seriously harmed by COVID-19. It is not worth the risk
Fact: Benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks
Medical experts suggest that vaccination against COVID 19 only proves to be good for all age groups. Talking specifically about children, the United States federal agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that getting your child vaccinated can protect the kid of 5 years and older from getting infected with the highly mutable virus. In severe cases, it can also protect the vaccinated kid from long-term complications, severe disease, hospitalizations, or developing infections if they contract COVID-19.
The official website of CDC states that the COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials were conducted with thousands of children. In the trials, no serious safety concerns were identified after vaccination. There were mild side effects that did not have any lasting effects. In fact, some children may not experience any side effects at all. Whereas, serious side effects are rare.
Talking about vaccinating teens in India against COVID 19, as of now, only Bharat Biotech's indigenously-made 'Covaxin' will be available for the allowed age bracket. According to the Health Ministry, additional doses of Covaxin will be sent to all states and Union Territories for administering them to this population category.
