HEALTH
COVID-19 vaccine shot for kids ages 5 to 11: Why is the
needle shorter, dosage less? An expert gives us answers
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | NOV. 19 - NOV. 25, 2021 23
BY JULIA MORO
A public elementary school
in Astoria shut down Wednesday,
Nov. 10, after a COVID-19
outbreak. Another school in
Far Rockaway has also closed
due to a COVID-19 outbreak,
making it the city’s third closure
since the school year
started.
P.S. 166 Henry Gradstein
School in Astoria will be entirely
remote for 10 days after
an investigation found evidence
of transmission within
the school, Gothamist first reported.
The school was closed
on Tuesday, Nov. 9, and will
reopen Monday, Nov. 22.
All students have been
equipped with devices to participate
in remote learning.
According to data by the
city’s Department of Education
(DOE), as of Wednesday,
Nov. 10, 176 staff and students
tested positive for the coronavirus.
“New York City schools
have the gold standard for
health and safety — with all
school staff vaccinated, and an
incredibly low positivity rate
of 0.19%,” a DOE spokesperson
said. “This is the first school
closure since September, but
we stand ready to support.
Every student at P.S. 166 has
a device so they can engage in
live remote learning, and we
are working closely with the
school community.”
Village Academy in Far
Rockaway announced it would
also close its doors on Thursday,
Nov. 11, due to significant
COVID transmission, Chalkbeat
first reported.
“We do not hesitate to take
action to keep school communities
safe, and our multilayered
approach to safety
has kept our positivity rate extremely
low at 0.19%,” a DOE
spokesperson said. “All staff
at DOE are vaccinated, and
all students at Village Academy
have access to a device to
ensure live, continuous learning.”
In the last school year, New
York City public schools closed
when two or more unlinked
COVID-19 cases were found
within a building. The twocase
rule was later dropped in
April, with officials announcing
at the beginning of the fall
that schools would only close
if widespread transmission of
the virus was found in a building.
Currently, 140 classrooms
out of 65,000 citywide are
quarantining, according to
the DOE.
Vaccines became available
to kids ages 5 to 11 earlier
this month after the FDA
determined the benefits outweighed
any potential side
effects. This week, the city
set up temporary vaccine
sites at schools serving students
between the ages of 5 to
11 across the five boroughs.
More than 10,000 kids have
already received their first
dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
at a school-based vaccination
site, according to amNew
York Metro.
According to the city’s
data, only about 21% of eligible
kids are fully vaccinated.
BY DONNA DUARTE-LADD
As parents start to vaccinate
their elementary schoolage
children, we chatted with
an expert about a few COVID-19
vaccine questions that are being
asked now that the shot for
ages 5 to 11 is approved.
Dr. Lahita (“Dr. Bob”) is
director of the Institute for
Autoimmune and Rheumatic
Disease at Saint Joseph Health
in Paterson, NJ. Dr. Bob is an
expert on COVID and vaccines
and is consulted constantly by
media across the globe.
Why is the needle shorter than
the regular needle for the adult
COVID-19 vaccine?
Kids don’t have as much
muscle bulk as adults do. Little
people, little needles!
The dosage for this vaccine is
not the exact dosage? What is
the dosage, and why?
It’s 10 micrograms, which
is 1/3 of the 30 microgram dose
given to adults. For kids ages
5-11, the dose is smaller because
this age group has a very
likely chance to raise a strong
immune response on less antigen.
Kids are smaller and their
immune systems are super
active! The antibody response
and the cellular responses are
going to be very robust in most
kids.
Should a child who will be
turning 12 soon wait for the
adult dosage or receive the 5
to 11 COVID-19 dosage?
They can do either option.
The smaller needle is a lot
more comfortable, so I would
recommend going ahead and
getting it now rather than
waiting until they turn 12.
How does the vaccine work on
the immune system?
These vaccines for kids
work the same as they do for
adults. In the most basic terms:
When they get the shot, it will
make the cells look like they
were infected with COVID –
the immune system thinks you
have gotten an infection, but in
reality, you haven’t.
In the mRNA (two shots)
vaccines, here is how it works:
The messenger RNA is a part
of the virus – a dead particle.
This particle is isolated from
the virus, placed into a package
like an M&M, injected
into you through your vaccine
dose, and then your cells gulp
it up. The center of the M&M,
aka the chocolate, is the RNA
which is processed, and then
made into proteins, which attach
to the top of the cell. These
are the same proteins the body
sees when it’s infected with the
COVID-19 virus itself, so it creates
antibodies for the virus.
Parents don’t need to worry
about the side effects because
this is totally expected and
normal – there may be tiredness,
soreness of the arm,
fever, etc.
In a CDC panel, some (on the
panel) mentioned concerns
about children who are
considered obese that the
dosage perhaps still needs
testing. Is this correct? Should
parents be concerned?
This is not a valid concern.
This is not a weight-based
drug. We are presenting antigen
to their systemic circulation,
which is very limited.
The antigen is disseminated,
and it has nothing to do with
their weight. It’s about their
age – they can be tall 9-yearolds,
obese 9-year-olds, it has
nothing to do with size. Traditionally,
kids are really afraid
of injections so when I refer to
them as “little kids, little doses,”
it’s all about their age.
Robert G. Lahita MD, PhD
(“Dr. Bob”), director of the Institute
for Autoimmune and
Rheumatic Disease at Saint
Joseph Health and author of
the upcoming book “Immunity
Strong.”
Photo via Getty Images
Photo by Jeenah Moon/Pool via REUTERS
Two schools close in Queens
after spread of COVID-19
/QNS.COM
