Parika girl who fell ill after COVID shot expected to be discharged from hospital

The 13-year-old girl who took ill on Tuesday, shortly after being vaccinated against COVID-19, was still recovering at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPH) yesterday afternoon but was expected to be discharged.

The teen’s father, Mark Yusuff, confirmed that up to yesterday afternoon, the child was in the hospital. He noted that she was feeling much better and seemed to be recovering quickly. He declined to comment further.

Whether her illness is related to the vaccine or not has not been confirmed but the Health Ministry, which is investigating the case, had moved to assure the public on Tuesday that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective after her case was publicised.

The girl, who hails from Parika, was taken by her mother to be inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine on Tuesday morning. However, several minutes after the need was vaccinated, she began experiencing shortness of breath before falling unconscious. She was hospitalized and discharged at least two times before once again requiring hospitalisation.

Although fewer children have been infected with COVID-19 compared to adults, children can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, get sick and spread the virus to others.

The United States’ Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 12 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination to help protect against the virus.

According to the CDC website, cases of myocarditis and pericarditis in adolescents and young adults have been reported more often after getting the second dose than after the first dose of one of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna). It notes that these reports are rare and the known and potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks, including the possible risk of myocarditis or pericarditis.

Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle while pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium, a sac-like structure with two thin layers of tissue that surround the heart to hold it in place and help it work.

The possible side effects of the vaccine in children include tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea throughout the body while on the arm where the shot is injected, there might be pain, redness, and swelling. According to the CDC, these side effects may affect a child’s ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days. Some people have no side effects.

It has also highlighted that issues such respiratory distress after vaccination could be a sign of an allergic reaction.