Vaccine facts for you and your kids
Last summer, I saw firsthand how Covid-19 impacted the lives of our kids. And it had nothing to do with getting sick. The side effects of fear, of having to quarantine, to stay away from school and friends changed them in ways large and small.
Thanks to scientists and medical professionals all over the globe, it feels like we finally have the Coronavirus on the run. But when you're winning a ballgame 4 - 0, you don't take your foot off the gas.
One month ago, I got my second Pfizer shot. I had zero side effects from either of them. Yes I'm lucky, but I would have gladly suffered through a day or two of flu-like symptoms for what I have now. Peace of mind. I have since gone to my grandniece's 9th birthday celebration. I attended a medium-sized wedding last weekend and spent a couple of days staying at my son's house in Tennessee. It feels...amazing.
If you haven't done it, I urge you to join the millions of Americans who have been vaccinated. And, as the vaccine gets approved for younger and younger children, I hope you'll give yours the vaccine, too.
This isn't political, it's science. If you don't believe the pandemic is real or you believe the vaccines are going to harm you or they are a government plot to control you, my thoughts are not going to change your mind. Please talk to your own doctor.
Or listen to one who is also a baseball dad in our own community.
Dr. Gregory Huhn is an infectious disease expert and Associate Professor at Rush. He has been front and center in this battle. His son, Clint, is a Bash member. On a personal level, Dr. Huhn's knowledge and advice has been invaluable for our academy, as we have endeavored to create protocols to keep you and your children safe with us. I want to thank him for everything he has done for us and ask that you read his important thoughts below:
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My son Clint and I are Padres fans.
I indoctrinated him, of course, as a transplanted San Diegan myself, and we know we leave ourselves open as heretics among our northside and southside brethren, yet we stand proud in our brown and gold. While we’re watching our team on "MLB Extra Innings" my own childhood hero Dave Winfield pops up now to remind us all to get our shot so we can get back to the ol’ ball game, a sanguine back-to-the-future vision I’m confident we can achieve "if we’re all together," as Dave says.
An important step in promoting protection for our kids and community arrived this week with the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization for Pfizer vaccination for 12 to 15 year old adolescents. Last week, I took an informal poll among some of the dads on Clint’s Oz Park team to gauge their interest in vaccinating their sons and daughters when their age group came up, and almost universally they said they’d jump at the first chance to line their kids up for the jab. Right on, parents!
Now as I put my infectious diseases and public health doc hat on, I fully support vaccinating this age group for several reasons:
They can clearly spread and transmit Covid-19 to others, primarily in households, but also to other kids in other households that have other more vulnerable people living there who may not be protected by vaccines
They have a high incidence of disease, and some may experience severe illness
Outbreaks in school-aged kids bring classroom reopenings to a skidding halt
Vaccination will allow them to get back more fully to activities that have been on hold for over a year
Clinical trails have shown 100% efficacy in 12-15 year olds against symptomatic infection, and there’s little reason to think that safety will be any different in 12 to 15 year olds than in the already authorized use in 16 and 17 years olds
We’re still in a pandemic, and we need to accelerate control measures responsibly when we can
A quick word about safety: The Emergency Use Authorization process has been rigorous, and 140 million doses of Pfizer have been administered in the US to people 16 years of age and above since it was first authorized 6 months ago. The authorization process was based upon gold standard worldwide clinical trials to ensure efficacy and safety to the highest standards using mRNA technology that has been in development for over 10 years.
My daughter is 13 years old and will be vaccinated this Thursday May 13th following the CDC meeting one day prior on Wednesday for final recommendations and guidance. Clint turns 12 in 2021, and we will most likely see an expanded EUA for Pfizer down 6 to 11 year olds likely late Summer/early Fall this year, so he’ll be left-arm-in (he’s a righty) hopefully in just a few months.
I look forward to seeing many of you with your kids and your actual friendly faces at Bash and on the diamond real soon as we move together to the other side of Covid.
Greg Huhn, MD, MPHTM
Cook County Health
Rush University Medical Center