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Even though the number of children falling ill during the coronavirus pandemic has been less as compared to adults. But we can't say for certain that all kids are safe from Covid-19. With speculations that the third wave of Covid-19 might be more dangerous than the previous ones, it is more important than ever to take care of your children. In the light of children's safety, it is also important that kids are vaccinated as soon as possible, and all precautionary measures are followed. But people have doubts regarding the safety of coronavirus vaccines.
However, several studies suggest that vaccines are safe and complications occur rarely. A study published in the journal Science Immunology found that Moderna's mRNA Covid vaccination and a protein-based injection are both safe for young children to use and provide a high immune response with no side effects.
In 16 newborn rhesus macaques, both vaccinations produced significant neutralising antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Antibody responses lasted a total of 22 weeks. As per the study results, vaccines are safe for kids and important for young children. Kristina De Paris, professor of microbiology and immunology at the UNC School of Medicine said, "The level of potent antibodies we observed were comparable to what has been seen in adult macaques, even though the doses were 30 micrograms instead of the 100 microgram adult doses. With the Moderna vaccine, we observed specific strong T cell responses, as well, which we know are important to limiting disease severity."
For the study, researchers immunized two groups of eight newborns rhesus macaques at 2.2 months and 4 weeks to assess SARS-CoV-2 baby vaccination. Each animal was given either a preclinical version of the Moderna mRNA vaccine or a protein-based vaccine developed by the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is part of the National Institutes of Health, along with a 3M adjuvant that stimulates cells via toll-like receptor 7 and 8. Both vaccinations produced large numbers of IgG neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and Spike protein-specific T cell responses IL-17, IFN-g, and TNF. T helper 1 immune responses are what they're termed.
Importantly, none of the vaccinations elicited T helper type 2 responses, which can compromise vaccination effectiveness and safety in babies. Such reactions can work against the virus's immune response. As a result, T helper two responses have hampered vaccine development in young children, particularly for the common Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
According to reports, the government's plan to make Covid-19 vaccines available to youngsters sets a goal of covering 80 per cent of the 130 million individuals aged 12 to 18 years old over time. In the European Union, Pfizer's mRNA vaccine has been evaluated covid and licenced for use in adolescents aged 12 to 15. According to the sources, the intention is to leverage India's indigenous capability to manufacture Covaxin, which is still being tested in youngsters.