After some recent conversations and updates I read, I wanted to clarify a few things about the status of the pediatric and adult vaccine.
I mentioned in my last post that kids are not just simply small adults, although their weight and chronic disease rate IS approaching that of adults. One way that they are still different is how their immune system is evolving, especially in the first decade of life.
Part of the reason that kids have larger adenoids and tonsils is that these locations are the first place that our immune system encounters new pathogens. It’s where our immune system first sees a bug, and where our immune system first ramps up to learn about this new foreign invader and develop a faster immune response for the next encounter. This happens through the formation of memory cells (T & B cells) which are permanent and antibodies which wane. This tonsil and adenoid tissue shrinks with age in most people but remains active throughout our lives. This is why the back of the nose, the nasopharynx, where the adenoid tissue is located, is where the SARS-Cov-2 virus replicates first and where the sampling for testing is the most reliable.
In addition, childrens’ immune systems in general are immature and are developing and evolving. Their bone marrow, one of the main sites of generation of immune cells, in addition to the lymph organs like the lymph nodes, spleen and thymus, is also developing, not just in size and volume, but in maturity.
All of that together makes developing vaccines a little trickier in the youngest population. Their responses are different than in older kids and adults. But it’s not like they’re a completely different species, although some humans certainly behave very inhumanely!
Their developing immune systems are still very robust however. Chalk full of stem cells, with still relatively healthy bodies compared with adults, this may also be partly why they are also the most resilient age category in general when it comes to contracting and recovering from Covid, vaccinated or not.
So just to summarize, developing vaccines, especially to a new, potentially genetically modified virus, is complicated business. Despite that, these vaccines have performed amazingly well in all categories so far at their job of avoiding infections, limiting severity of disease and avoiding many deaths, including in the youngest populations, all with a very low risk profile. They are not perfect but they are very effective and they are safe. Almost 11 billion doses worldwide has proven that.
Other Covid issues.
Worldwide, there are various areas like Honk Kong and S. Korea, previously held up as examples of how to properly control this pandemic, where there are massive outbreaks. However, despite their high case numbers, hospitalization and deaths remain very low because of their much higher vaccination rates.
The BA-2 sub variant of Omicron now accounts for 8.3% of new cases in the US, doubling every week. In the US, we continue to have declines in cases but they are still at a very high rate. The US is in the top 12 countries when it comes to per capita deaths from Covid-19. Pretty pathetic for such a supposedly advanced and civilized country. It’s a direct result of having one of the lowest vaccination rates of developed countries, along with some of the lowest compliance with safety measures like proper masking and social behavior.
Responsible, compassionate human behavior is our best defense against this pandemic. But given how little people have changed in response to the various calamities occurring worldwide, yearning to keep their lives the same, convenient and comfortable, I’m not confident we can change our behavior enough to make a difference.
In the meantime, GET VACCINATED! It’s still your best realistic defense against the pandemic which continues on.
When appropriate, wear a good mask, not just a “face covering”, and wear it properly.
When appropriate, distance and avoid overcrowded areas.
Keep working on your health. A healthy body and mind are more resilient.
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Stay safe and be well.
AC