Why your child should get the COVID-19 vaccine, booster

Q: When should my kids get their COVID-19 booster?

A: Vaccines are our best hope to end the COVID-19 pandemic. A vaccine is available for children ages 5 and up, and boosters have been authorized for some older children. Clinical trials are under way for a vaccine for children ages 6 months to 4 years.

Research shows the COVID-19 vaccines are remarkably effective and safe. The AAP urges children and adults to get the COVID-19 vaccine and booster as soon as they are eligible. Being vaccinated and boosted is especially important now with the rise in cases caused by the delta and omicron variants of the virus. More contagious strains can spread quickly and infect more children.

Right now, the only COVID-19 vaccine available for children in the U.S. is the Pfizer BioNTech mRNA vaccine. Two separate doses are given 21 days apart. The COVID shot for children 5 years to 11 years of age is a lower dose than the dose recommended for people 12 years and older.

Who can get the third shot of the vaccine:

Those ages 16 and older

Adolescents ages 12 and up with certain health conditions: For kids age 12 years or older who have weakened immune systems, a third dose already is recommended as part of the primary series.

The third dose in the primary series is recommended for those who meet one of the following criteria:

Are undergoing active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood

Received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system

Received a stem cell transplant within the last two years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system

Have hereditary or genetic conditions that cause moderate or severe immunodeficiency

Have advanced or untreated HIV infection

Are taking high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may dampen their immune system response

If your child has an active COVID-19 infection, they should wait to get vaccinated until they’ve recovered.

Dr. James D. Campbell is a pediatric infectious disease specialist based in Maryland and also serves on the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases. Find more information at HealthyChildren.org

AAAAAAAAECOLUMBUS, OHIO very day is different for Olivia Price, but it usually begins with checking in with Eakin Elementary School teachers, the principal, school counselor and most importantly – her clients.

Her clients are students at the Columbus City school on the West Side who may be dealing with issues such as having a hard time focusing, sitting in class or have been diagnosed with ADHD or anxiety.

She’ll talk to them about what made them happy that day – like getting a hug from a teacher – or things that made them upset, like a disagreement with another student. Price, who has a master’s degree in social work, is a quality mental health specialist.

“My work is not just working with the students, I also talk to the teachers about my clients and I talk to their families, too,” Price said. “It’s kind of like a group of people working together to help the success of the child.”

This academic year, Buckeye Ranch, a youth and family mental health counseling and treatment organization, partnered with Columbus City Schools to place clinicians such as Price in their schools. Currently, there are Buckeye employees at Eakin, West Broad Elementary, Indianola Informal K-8 and Columbus Alternative High School.

The partnership comes during a time where mental health concerns have been spiking in K-12 students in the state and across the country amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.

A recent statewide survey by Miami University’s Ohio School Wellness Initiative found that 75% of the 106 K-12 school officials who participated in that portion of the survey reported increased mental health concerns among their students since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

The concerns included moderate to severe depression, significant anxiety and social isolation among students.

The study also found 60% of participants reported increased concerns of trauma exposure, PTSD and suicidal ideation and attempts by school children.

While these concerns existed before the pandemic began, COVID-19 and its variants have exacerbated the issues, said Kristy Brann, an assistant professor of school psychology at Miami University who is part of the initiative.

Brann added that a lot of behavioral and mental health concerns could be attributed to changes in a student’s routine – not being able to interact with their peers and being physically in a classroom.

“It amplified what was already a problem,” she said.

Having clinicians and mental health specialists in schools, Brann said, can reduce or eliminate problems associated with getting referrals, transportation or paying for behavioral health services.

And while Buckeye Ranch provides referral services to families who need them, the school-based program hopes to remove those barriers, said Andrea Weisberger, the organization’s schoolbased liaison.

“Most school-based clinicians go to the school and serve the children there, because that’s where children need it most,” Weisberger said.

Weisberger said having clinicians like therapists and qualified mental health social workers in schools allow teachers and other school staff to focus on academics. It also takes clinicians to an environment where students need them the most.

“If a child is struggling in school, struggling with their academics and there’s some kind of mental health or behavioral concern that’s getting in the way of that, we come in to reduce … and remove that barrier for them,” Weisberger said.

Price said elementary school children are more moldable than older kids, and teaching them how to show gratitude or cope when upset can possibly help down the line if they have more serious diagnoses.

“I don’t want to say it’s going to hinder them for a bigger diagnosis, but at least they will know how to cope with those diagnoses as they get older,” Price said.

After talking to students about what’s been going on and doing therapeutic exercises, Price said she likes to plays games, such as Uno, or do coloring with the kids.

Price believes she’s seen the impact therapy has had on the children, like when a student gave her a hug after she returned from vacation.

“That showed me that I was missed, like what I’m doing … is impactful,” Price said. “That definitely made my day.”