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The case for vaccinating teens
Many parents are concerned about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine but a Beaumont doctor lays out three simple reasons you should do it.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - This week, the FDA and CDC both approved emergency use authorization for children between the ages of 12 and 15 to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
While many parents are cautious about getting their kids the vaccine, Dr. Bishara Freij, the Chief of Pediatric Infectious Disease for Beaumont Children’s said there are three big reasons you should get the vaccine.
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Kids are not immune
All statistics show children are less likely to get severely sick from coronavirus but if your child was sick and you tell your doctor that, Dr. Freij said, simply, you were fortunate.
"Your kids were lucky to have asymptomatic infection. That's fortunate. I can tell you that I have taken care of numerous kids who are healthy, previously, gotten COVID and have landed in ICU," he said.
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Kids carry the virus longer than adults
Even if your kids have very mild symptoms, that doesn't mean they're not carrying and spreading the virus.
"Children actually shed the virus in larger amounts than an adult with the same infection and for longer periods of time. So even though they may have no symptoms, or trivial symptoms, they are actually shedding and they will spread. I think it's a misconception to think that children are not a source of infection," said Dr. Feij.
Vaccinations can prevent variants
As the doctor explains, even if kids don't get severely ill, the more the virus lives and spreads, the worse it is for all of us.
"A quarter of the world's population is children and this infection cannot be controlled by vaccinating only vulnerable people and adults. It really has to be everybody, otherwise the virus will multiply, mutate, and new variants spread will start infecting people who've even gotten the vaccine," Dr. Feij said
Michigan health officials are urging primary care doctors to enroll to administer COVID-19 vaccines. For more information on vaccines, visit the vaccines portion of our COVID-19 page.