Parents, have you done your homework?

Work on coronavirus vaccines has been ongoing for more than 10 years, due in part to the SARS-CoV-1 outbreak in 2003. It was important to develop the COVID-19 vaccine quickly because of how many people were dying and getting sick, and because of the disruptions to everyday life as a result of the pandemic. Even though the vaccines were developed quickly, all the usual steps for the approval of vaccines occurred, including clinical trials with the appropriate number of participants. Because of the large amount of resources that were made available to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and the large number of COVID-19 cases, the clinical trials were accelerated. This made it easier to tell quickly whether or not the vaccines worked to prevent cases of COVID-19. The vaccine was rapidly shown to be safe and effective in protecting against COVID-19.

Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) or pericarditis (inflammation of the heart’s outer lining) are rare and most commonly experienced by older adolescents and young adults. Both are extremely rare in relation to the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 10 million children in the U.S. and Canada have received the vaccine with very few reports of these conditions. Myocarditis and pericarditis actually occur far more often after COVID-19 infection than after being vaccinated against COVID-19, as noted by Health Canada and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are multiple surveillance mechanisms in place in order to monitor any potential post-vaccination risk of these conditions over time. 

There is no evidence or scientific reason to believe that the COVID-19 vaccine can affect puberty and fertility in children. Clinical trials of those who have been vaccinated in the general population have shown that the vaccine is very safe.