We understand there are different concerns when it comes to getting the COVID-19 vaccine, especially when making this decision for your child(ren). In this livestream, our medical experts – a pediatric infectious diseases specialist, a pediatric pulmonary (lung) specialist, and a pediatrician – respectfully discuss the top COVID-19 vaccine concerns to help you and your family make an informed decision. For more information and resources, please visit: https://www.mottchildren.org/covid-19-vaccines-adolescents-children For Part II, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7yEB0hVH3M Timestamped Questions: 0:00 Start 3:57 What are the chances of my child experiencing side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine? What are some of the expected side effects and how common are they? 6:38 Can children experience an allergic reaction to the vaccine? 8:45 I’ve heard that the COVID-19 vaccine can affect fertility or menstruation? Is this true? If not, why does this keep coming up? 10:50 What is mRNA and how do we know it will not affect children negatively? 12:51 Aren’t kids at low risk of severe COVID sickness or death? If so, is it even worth getting them vaccinated and putting them through the side effects? How do I weigh these risks? 17:40 What if a child has already had COVID - do you recommend they get the vaccine? If so, why and how long should they wait? 20:12 Won’t getting COVID strengthen my children’s immunity to COVID? Why would I put them through the side effects of the vaccine? 21:10 We’ve heard about teens getting a heart condition called myocarditis after the vaccine. What is this and how often does it occur? Do we know what causes it and if young people are at a higher risk? 23:57 Are kids with congenital heart disease at higher risk of this side effect or worse outcomes if they experience myocarditis? 24:51 Can you address potential concerns for families who have a child with a neurological condition, such as epilepsy and cerebral palsy. Is there any data for children with epilepsy having breakthrough seizures after the vaccine? 26:24 I’ve heard Novavax will soon request emergency use authorization for their subunit vaccine which is more like a traditional vaccine, why shouldn’t I wait for that one? Do the current vaccines have the possibility of producing toxic spike proteins? 28:45 Are there any children who shouldn’t get the vaccine - for example those with asthma, a history of allergic reactions? 31:09 What is the difference between a 5 year old’s dosage and an 11 year old’s? If you have a child who is the height of an adult, the weight of an adult and has reached puberty, should they get the vaccine asap with a lower dosage or wait five months until they turn 12 to get the adult dosage? 33:39 What do we know about timing and status of the trials for younger kids, and when do we think they will be eligible to be vaccinated? 35:11 Weren’t these vaccines developed too fast? How do we know there aren’t going to be long term side effects? 39:14 Should children have both the COVID vaccine shot & the flu shot? And how many weeks would young children need to wait after the COVID vaccine to receive their flu shot? 41:12 We hear a lot about young children getting COVID-19 but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of publicly available data on how children actually handled the virus. Is there a way to better understand outcomes - how often they are hospitalized for example? Are pediatric hospitalizations from COVID going up? 44:17 Is there any evidence that the delta variant is making kids sicker than earlier variants? 45:11 Are there any data showing Pfizer or Moderna having higher efficacy against delta in the children's trials? And do you expect the vaccine to change to provide more protection against known variants? 47:04 How do the potential risks associated with the COVID vaccine compare to potential risks associated with other regular childhood vaccines? ------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe to Michigan Medicine’s YouTube channel for upcoming videos and future live streams featuring our experts answering your questions. Follow Michigan Medicine on Social: Twitter: https://twitter.com/umichmedicine Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umichmedicine/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichiganMedicine/ Follow C.S. Mott Children's Hospital on Social: Twitter: https://twitter.com/MottChildren Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mottchildren/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mottchildren/ #COVIDVaccine #ChildrensHealth #MichiganMedicine #Pediatrics #COVID #COVID19 #EveryShotCounts