In the United States, more than 460 children below five years old died from COVID-19 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2021), children, adolescents, and adults aged 5 and up have been vaccinated since last year. At least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to 65% of the world’s population (Ritchie, Mathieu, Guirao, Appel, Giattino, Ospina, Hasell, Macdonald, Beltekian and Roser, 2022). Children under the age of five are the only ones who are not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. As a result, parents of those belonging to the age group began inquiring about vaccinations for their children (Chen, 2022).
The first COVID-19 cases were discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Just three months later, the cases had already reached 100,000. In March 2020, it was declared by the World Health Organization as a pandemic (Moore, 2021). Coronavirus disease 2019, which is caused by a virus called SARS-CoV-2, spreads rapidly through droplets that are expelled from one’s mouth or nose as he or she breathes, coughs, sneezes, or speaks (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2022). Due to the risks of the disease, strict regulations were implemented all throughout the world including social distancing, travel restrictions, and proper handwashing and disinfection. These efforts, however, were merely supposed to slow the virus’s transmission. To put an end to the pandemic, scientists concluded they’d need a vaccine. The first COVID-19 human vaccine trials using the Moderna mRNA vaccine began in March 2020 (Moore, 2021).
In a poll conducted by Hamel, Sparks, Lopez, Stokes, and Brodie (2022), only 3 out of 10 parents of kids below five years old stated that they would get their child vaccinated immediately if a vaccine for their age group was approved. Others argue that it is risky for very young children because the vaccine has side effects and cannot guarantee complete immunity to the disease, but vaccination helps to protect them from the serious consequences of the virus and allows them to live a more normal life, as well as reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to others, such as on family members and friends who may be more vulnerable to the severe symptoms of the COVID-19.
Once children are vaccinated with safe and authorized COVID-19 vaccines, they would be protected from life-threatening sickness, hospitalization, and death caused by the COVID-19. As stated by the Harvard Health Publishing (2022), coronavirus can be acquired by children as young as infants. Those with underlying conditions, like asthma and chronic diseases, are more likely to get severely ill from the said virus. On the other hand, people who have been vaccinated against the disease will not experience its severe symptoms. Vaccines contain a weakened or killed antigen, which is a component of a pathogen that cannot lead to a disease. Antigens prompt the formation of antibodies. When the human body is exposed to a pathogen, such as a virus or bacteria, its immune system naturally creates antibodies. These antibodies bind to the antigen and weaken the pathogen. When the body gets vaccinated, its immune system can create antibodies against a specific antigen without it getting affected by the actual virus. If ever the body becomes infected with the real disease, its immune system can quickly recognize the antigens and produce antibodies, preventing the pathogen from spreading and causing serious illness (WHO, 2020).
Vaccinating as many people as possible can reduce the danger of contracting and spreading the virus. It benefits not just the individual, but also the entire community that may be afflicted with the virus. As stated by the WHO (2020), herd immunity can be achieved either by vaccinating people or exposing them to the pathogen. Herd immunity occurs when a population becomes immune to the virus. WHO (2020) argues that allowing the virus to spread across the population just to achieve population immunity results in unwarranted infections and deaths. Similarly, letting kids grow and develop without protection from the coronavirus is immoral. Despite the fact that the number of children infected with the disease is small in contrast to adults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022), the government and medical community cannot simply ignore the problem. To develop herd immunity effectively, a significant portion of a community must be vaccinated, reducing the ability of the virus to spread across the population (WHO, 2020).
Vaccination allows children to live a more normal life and in turn, improve their social lives, and growth and development. COVID-19 cases decrease as more people get vaccinated (Moghadas, Vilches, Zhang, Wells, Shoukat, Singer, Meyers, Neuzil, Langley, Fitzpatrick, & Galvani, 2020). This allows everyone, even children, to go out with less anxiety, and interact real-time with friends and neighbors (American Lung Association, 2021). Increased parental stress, suspension of school activities, social isolation measures, nutritional issues, children’s exposure to toxic stress, and a lack of physical activity have all been identified as factors influencing children’s growth and development as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic (Araújo, Veloso, Souza, Azevedo, & Tarrod, 2020).
Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, children and teenagers have been burdened by mental health conditions that were not adequately addressed. In 2017, one in every nine children aged 5 to 16 years old was diagnosed with a probable mental illness (Health and Social Care Information Centre, 2020). Children, especially those under the age of five, are too young to understand global issues. They are unable to stand up for themselves and fight for their rights in the community. Therefore, they require assistance from adults since some topics are too complicated for them to comprehend. The pandemic, on the other hand, demonstrated that the government pays little attention to this issue. As reported by the WHO’s (2022) latest Mental Health Atlas, governments across the world spent slightly over 2% of their health expenditures on mental health in 2020. Having a strong mental health as a kid helps in reaching developmental and emotional milestones, as well as acquiring good social skills and coping techniques. All of these factors contribute to a higher quality of life at home, at school, and in their communities (CDC, 2021).
After receiving a certain vaccine, rare incidences of myocarditis and pericarditis were detected. The cases were highest after the second vaccination dose in adolescent males and young men (Oster, Shay, Su, Gee, Creech, Broder, Edwards, Soslow, Dendy, Schlaudecker, Lang, Barnett, Ruberg, Smith, Campbell, Lopes, Sperling, Baumblatt, Thompson, Marquez, Strid, Woo, Pugsley, Steiner, DeStefano, & Shimabukuro, 2022). Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle, whereas pericarditis is an infection of the membrane around the heart (McGuire, Machingaifa, Cheng, & Crawford, 2022). This issue brought anxiety to every parent. It is frightening to put the children at risk, especially when they are unable to make their own decisions. Given the uncertainties, might parents bear the risk and allow their children to be vaccinated? Could they put their kids in danger of becoming ill? The answer is no for the WHO. Parents must not worry about myocarditis and pericarditis because the risks of COVID-19 are much higher than these two. WHO (2021) claimed that the cases were extremely rare, and those who did contract it recovered quickly. The majority of patients who got treatment for myocarditis or pericarditis improved quickly with the help of medication and rest. Furthermore, most of the reported cases exclusively involved adolescent males, with no incidence including kids under the age of five.
Although COVID-19 vaccinations are highly effective, some people can still become sick from COVID-19. Vaccines do not provide 100% immunity; fully vaccinated individuals can still catch the virus and transmit them to others. This is referred to as ‘breakthrough infections’ (WHO, 2022). These instances are one of the reasons why some individuals don’t consider getting the COVID-19 vaccine (Robson, 2021). Nevertheless, it does help reduce the serious effects of the disease. People who have been vaccinated would have milder symptoms if they become sick with the coronavirus. It is extremely rare for a vaccinated individual to suffer a major disease, be hospitalized, or die (WHO, 2022).
Aside from the effectiveness, another concern with coronavirus vaccination is the side effects. The CDC (2022) has seen cases of Anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction, rarely after delivering COVID-19 vaccinations. Again, these are extremely rare occurrences. Pfizer and Moderna have reporting rates of 4.7 and 2.5 cases per million doses administered, respectively. Some common side effects may include swelling in the arm where the shot was given, exhaustion, headache, muscle soreness, chills, fever, and nausea. More critical and long-term effects include trouble breathing, chest pain, confusion, and loss of speech or mobility. However, these are usually minor and should not be taken as a threat. They are natural indicators that the body is developing protective defenses. Therefore, they go away after a few days. Moreover, the side effects might not be experienced by everyone (WHO, 2021).
Allowing children under the age of five to be vaccinated is important in protecting them from the virus’s terrible consequences, ensuring their healthy childhood, and reducing the chance of spreading the virus to others. Children in this age range are still at risk of coronavirus because they are the only ones who have not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine. Several institutions must collaborate to develop a vaccine for children below five years old and guarantee its safety and effectiveness. Community leaders should make knowledge and information readily available so that everyone understands what needs to be done and avoid believing in fake news. If children have not been vaccinated, parents should instruct them not to touch objects outside their houses, to sterilize frequently, stay at home, wear masks, and avoid crowded places. Even if vaccinated, one should not assume that they would never become infected. People must work together to ensure that vaccines are provided fairly and evenly. Even if vaccines are not available for children, the government must still establish a program to protect them. This pandemic should not make them feel left out. Given that they are unable to advocate for their rights as citizens on their own, who will speak up for them? Should adults simply let the next generation grow up in this environment? Shouldn’t they make the world a better place to live for the future generation?