Your “Dumb” COVID Questions, Answered (April '22 Edition, Part 2)
Dr. Jeremy Faust talks boosting children and summer lifestyle predictions...
So, here we are.
We’re at the point now where our kids – hopefully – are vaccinated.
Where our youngest children will soon be able to get vaccinated.
And where we are now considering whether to boost our kids.
What’s the smart thinking on all of this?
I don’t know about you, but there’s so much information floating around that it’s hard to make sense of it all.
You’re in luck.
Dr. Jeremy Faust is here.
Top ER doctor, writer, and my trusted source on all things COVID.
AT WHAT AGE DO YOU BOOST YOUR KIDS?
ALINA CHO: I want to talk about kids because it's such a big category.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: Yeah.
ALINA CHO: Moderna has applied for FDA approval for its vaccine for kids under five. Where are we on that? And then what will you do with your [three-year-old] child?
DR. JEREMY FAUST: Moderna sent out a press release that had data on their trial for kids starting as young as six months old.
Source: NPR News
It was a favorable readout, which meant that the data looked really promising. They achieved their stated goals based on antibody levels and making sure that the kids are getting the kind of response that they anticipate will be necessary.
ALINA CHO: Is that for two doses?
DR. JEREMY FAUST: For two doses.
ALINA CHO: At what percentage of the adult dose?
DR. JEREMY FAUST: One quarter.
ALINA CHO: Got it.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: If everything would proceed as it has in the past, we would vaccinate our kid with Moderna. We cannot wait.
ALINA CHO: And then what is your feeling on the rest of the population of children? Five and up.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: So, 12 and up got the adult dose. I think, honestly, for 12 to 18 [year olds], you almost maximize your protection against severe disease [with two doses].
Source: ABC News
It just tops out. The booster for that group certainly adds something temporarily, simply because it decreases infection for a little while. So, to me, 12 plus, there's no wrong answer.
ALINA CHO: And younger than 12?
DR. JEREMY FAUST: The trickier one to me right now is five to 11. For Pfizer, [that age group got two shots at] one third of the [adult] dose.
ALINA CHO: Right.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: How do they do with two doses? The efficacy certainly dropped during Omicron, but also the protection against hospitalization was pretty good.
ALINA CHO: Okay.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: And look, what I think is interesting is unlike 12 plus, where you get this incredibly high maximal rate of severe disease protection because they got the adult dose...
ALINA CHO: Right.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: For five to 11, they actually got a smaller dose.
Source: U.S. News
ALINA CHO: Yeah.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: And so, their protection against severe disease is actually lower.
ALINA CHO: Of course.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: The funny thing is, depending on what Pfizer comes out with, I could tell you that, scientifically, a 14-year-old may not necessarily need to be boosted, but it's possible that a seven-year-old will need to be boosted simply because of the dose differences.
Source: CNN
ALINA CHO: Makes sense.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: If that’s the case that the third dose is optional for teens and required for middle schoolers, then you know what, that's science for you.
THE COVID GAME CHANGER
ALINA CHO: I know you hate to look into your crystal ball, but boy, I hope things are better this summer.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: To me, it is such a different conversation once the six month and older [set] can be vaccinated.
ALINA CHO: You’re right.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: We still have to think about the disability community, and we need to protect those among us who are more vulnerable. And so, I'm not saying that once everyone can be vaccinated, let it rip, but I'm saying that, to me, the next big sea change is that moment when all ages can be vaccinated, which will be 99% of the population.
ALINA CHO: And the good news is that is on the horizon. We're talking hopefully weeks, not months, certainly not years. And, by the way, the under-fives make up — what — 18 million children?
DR. JEREMY FAUST: Yes. And I totally agree with you. It would be one thing if we were like, “Look, the vaccine, this doesn't work in little kiddies. We can't stop life for the next decade.”
ALINA CHO: Exactly.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: But here we are, hopefully weeks away from a vaccine that keeps kids out of the hospital, that keeps kids from getting these inflammatory syndromes that cause cardiac damage, that keep kids from dying.
Source: Nature.com
To me, that's going to change my personal behavior a lot.
ALINA CHO: Well, of course, because you have a child in that age group.
DR. JEREMY FAUST: Exactly. That's the next big thing where I think that [we can then have] more aggressive back-to-life arguments.
ALINA CHO: And some peace of mind. That’s huge.