Have you considered doing an independent analysis on the risk benefit analysis of the Covid shot in case the CDC got it wrong? I'm pretty sure most 6-month olds won't benefit from the shot and could suffer severe life-altering side effects.
Thank you for asking this very important question: Does the risk/benefit ratio favor vaccinating for COVID-19/SARS -CoV-2 in children down to 6 months of age?
There has been much discussion and analysis of this in the infectious disease community across the globe. Recommendations vary--the CDC suggests it is helpful (may benefit) for all children down to 6 months of age, while the Europeans recommend limiting COVID-19 vaccination to children only in high risk groups. I would refer you to several review articles that may be of interest, from the American, European and Asian perspective
Thanks for the helpful update! Question(asking for a friend;) if one needs the Shingles vaccine also…what is the timing for that—Covid and Flu first then Shingles at a later date??
I believe you can get the shingles vaccination as the same time as the other two--if you dare! Otherwise, would prioritize the Covid now, and consider flu and shingles next month.
Have you considered doing an independent analysis on the risk benefit analysis of the Covid shot in case the CDC got it wrong? I'm pretty sure most 6-month olds won't benefit from the shot and could suffer severe life-altering side effects.
Thank you for asking this very important question: Does the risk/benefit ratio favor vaccinating for COVID-19/SARS -CoV-2 in children down to 6 months of age?
There has been much discussion and analysis of this in the infectious disease community across the globe. Recommendations vary--the CDC suggests it is helpful (may benefit) for all children down to 6 months of age, while the Europeans recommend limiting COVID-19 vaccination to children only in high risk groups. I would refer you to several review articles that may be of interest, from the American, European and Asian perspective
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2211031
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2800744
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00431-023-05380-8
https://apjai-journal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/6_AP-300423-1596.pdf
I think the last one sums up the dilemma well:
"The necessity and recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine for infants
born after the pandemic or unvaccinated young children
are still debatable. Infants and young children remain at
risk of hospitalization and severe disease. In the US, the
hospitalization rates are higher among children 6 months
to < 2 years of age compared to children 2–4 years of age.
More research is needed to determine the efficacy and
safety between the primary series of monovalent ancestral
strains and bivalent ones, as well as the cost-effectiveness in
this group."
My take: I would offer the COVID-19 vaccine, but would not same strong recommendation that I might for the influenza vaccine, for very young children.
Thanks for the helpful update! Question(asking for a friend;) if one needs the Shingles vaccine also…what is the timing for that—Covid and Flu first then Shingles at a later date??
I believe you can get the shingles vaccination as the same time as the other two--if you dare! Otherwise, would prioritize the Covid now, and consider flu and shingles next month.
Thanks! Not sure I’m brave enough for all three at once ;)