Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why you should vaccinate your kids

Ryan McCormick, MD
Conditions
November 16, 2021
Share
Tweet
Share

I am definitely getting my daughter vaccinated, and I acknowledge a minimal risk. Here is my reasoning, and perhaps this can help your family decide to get the vaccine for the kids in your family, too.

Coronavirus is going to be with us for a long time — years, decades, probably for the rest of our lives like influenza. It is even widespread in deer now, another reservoir that will make eradication unlikely. New variants are certain.

The Delta variant is extremely contagious, and future variants of concern are likely to stay that way.

Immunity through infection is not permanent or even guaranteed. Neither is 100 percent protection assured through vaccination, but getting vaxxed provides better protection with much less risk.

So, given that this isn’t going away for a long time, and that coronaviruses are very contagious, and that we don’t have a culture that can sustain lockdowns and masks, the reality is reduced to two basic choices:

Take our chances with getting COVID disease unvaccinated.

Or take our chances with getting the vaccine.

Both propositions carry risk. For adults, it’s never been a contest — getting vaxxed absolutely wins. Please get vaxxed if you haven’t. But the risks for children who get sick with COVID (especially Delta) are significant, too. Many researchers, doctors and epidemiologists who are much smarter than I have deliberately weighed the risks and benefits. The FDA and CDC have concluded that getting kids vaccinated is a much better proposition.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) can be trusted, and both have strongly supported vaccination.

In the U.S., over 8,000 kids ages 5-11 have been hospitalized with COVID, with a third of them needing intensive care. At least 170 in this age group have died, and >800 American kids of all ages have died so far.

Over 5,000 have developed MIS-C, a severe inflammatory disorder.

Myocarditis? More common and more severe with infection.

Long-term risks? I am much more concerned by what we have already seen with long COVID disease, even in children. Also, most adverse effects of vaccines show up within the first six weeks, and this period has been studied extensively in trials, and more than 7 billion COVID vaccine doses have been given already.

ADVERTISEMENT

Other more bizarre myths have been disproven. Allergic reactions are possible but rare.

Vaccinating kids will help keep more schools open, protect family members, especially of the older generation and those with medical problems, and improve kids’ psychological and physical health as they can more safely approach “being kids” again. School closures, remote learning and the shrinking of our children’s worlds have taken a terrible psychological toll. Vaccination is a responsible way out.
Holidays are coming, and so is winter.

It is always harder to act on a proposition than to take a passive stance. If something bad happens because we took action, it feels like we are responsible. No parent wants to hurt their child, and even if there is a tiny chance of causing harm, it is understandable why up to a third of American parents don’t plan to get their kids vaccinated voluntarily, and another third are on the fence.

But unfortunately, we are just as responsible for not acting. Seeing your child get sick, and worrying how bad it might get, and worrying about who else is about to get sick, should compel us to take control and choose the less risky proposition. I’m sticking with the AAP, AAFP, FDA, and CDC recommendations and old-school respect for expertise.

They say that doctors can actually influence vaccine decisions, and I wish you good luck with yours! For my family and me and for millions of others, it was not even a close call.

Update: My daughter got the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. She’s doing great, day three already. She’s proud of herself and looking forward to less anxiety about life in a social world.

Ryan McCormick is a family physician and writes a medical newsletter at McCormickMD.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Physicians have gone from being heroes to villains [PODCAST]

November 15, 2021 Kevin 1
…
Next

New possibilities for pain management: the case for spinal cord stimulation

November 16, 2021 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: COVID, Pediatrics

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Physicians have gone from being heroes to villains [PODCAST]
Next Post >
New possibilities for pain management: the case for spinal cord stimulation

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Ryan McCormick, MD

  • Why mask bans are the latest attack on American freedom

    Ryan McCormick, MD
  • How writing a letter on Substack might recharge your life in medicine

    Ryan McCormick, MD
  • A holiday greeting card from the land of primary care

    Ryan McCormick, MD

Related Posts

  • If we don’t pay now to vaccinate our children, they will pay later

    Peter Ubel, MD
  • Let kids come to the table

    Casey Nagel, MD
  • Let’s insure our kids instead of building a wall

    Sonali Saluja, MD, MPH
  • It shouldn’t be this difficult to find shoes for kids with disabilities

    Cassi Young
  • 15 commandments for teaching your kids about racism

    Uchenna Umeh, MD
  • School vaccine exemptions must be for medical conditions only

    Shetal Shah, MD

More in Conditions

  • The hidden cost of delaying back surgery

    Gbolahan Okubadejo, MD
  • Venous leak syndrome: a silent challenge faced by all men

    Elliot Justin, MD
  • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

    Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD
  • Reimagining diabetes care with nutrition, not prescriptions

    William Hsu, MD
  • A speech pathologist’s key to better, safer patient care

    Adena Dacy, CCC-SLP
  • How collaboration saved my life from a rare disease doctors couldn’t diagnose

    Tami Burdick
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • A world without antidepressants: What could possibly go wrong?

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Meds
    • Conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies

      Martha Rosenberg | Policy
    • The hidden cost of delaying back surgery

      Gbolahan Okubadejo, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • What happened to real care in health care?

      Christopher H. Foster, PhD, MPA | Policy
    • Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?

      Jacob Murphy | Education
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • The hidden cost of delaying back surgery

      Gbolahan Okubadejo, MD | Conditions
    • Precision and personalization: Charting the future of cancer care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Expert Q&A: Dr. Jared Pelo, ambient clinical pioneer, explains how Dragon Copilot helps clinicians deliver better care

      Jared Pelo, MD & Microsoft & Nuance Communications | Sponsored
    • The lab behind the lens: Equity begins with diagnosis

      Michael Misialek, MD | Policy
    • Venous leak syndrome: a silent challenge faced by all men

      Elliot Justin, MD | Conditions
    • Rethinking patient payments: Why billing is the new frontline of patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • A world without antidepressants: What could possibly go wrong?

      Tomi Mitchell, MD | Meds
    • Conflicts of interest are eroding trust in U.S. health agencies

      Martha Rosenberg | Policy
    • The hidden cost of delaying back surgery

      Gbolahan Okubadejo, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • The silent crisis hurting pain patients and their doctors

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • What happened to real care in health care?

      Christopher H. Foster, PhD, MPA | Policy
    • Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?

      Jacob Murphy | Education
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • The hidden cost of delaying back surgery

      Gbolahan Okubadejo, MD | Conditions
    • Precision and personalization: Charting the future of cancer care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Expert Q&A: Dr. Jared Pelo, ambient clinical pioneer, explains how Dragon Copilot helps clinicians deliver better care

      Jared Pelo, MD & Microsoft & Nuance Communications | Sponsored
    • The lab behind the lens: Equity begins with diagnosis

      Michael Misialek, MD | Policy
    • Venous leak syndrome: a silent challenge faced by all men

      Elliot Justin, MD | Conditions
    • Rethinking patient payments: Why billing is the new frontline of patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Why you should vaccinate your kids
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...