WEBVTT 1 00:00:13.760 --> 00:00:16.120 align:middle LIEKE SANDERS: Children will receive the child dose... 2 00:00:16.240 --> 00:00:17.680 align:middle of the Pfizer vaccine. 3 00:00:17.800 --> 00:00:19.480 align:middle It will be given in two injections. 4 00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:20.800 align:middle And the interval between... 5 00:00:20.920 --> 00:00:22.880 align:middle the two injections will be eight weeks. 6 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:25.680 align:middle Longer than the three weeks stated in the package leaflet. 7 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:27.200 align:middle This is a very deliberate choice. 8 00:00:27.320 --> 00:00:29.360 align:middle Because it helps the vaccine work a bit better... 9 00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:31.440 align:middle and can reduce the side-effects somewhat. 10 00:00:31.800 --> 00:00:34.440 align:middle For children who have an underlying health condition... 11 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:37.160 align:middle we want to shorten that interval to four weeks. 12 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:41.440 align:middle Some children in that group will not respond as strongly to the first vaccination... 13 00:00:41.560 --> 00:00:44.400 align:middle so they need the second vaccination to protect them more quickly. 14 00:00:49.080 --> 00:00:52.560 align:middle Yes, it is exactly the same vaccine, but a lower dose. 15 00:00:52.680 --> 00:00:55.400 align:middle In children, we saw that giving them one-third of the dose... 16 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:58.080 align:middle resulted in the same high levels of antibodies after two vaccinations... 17 00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:00.520 align:middle as seen in adolescents who received the adult dose. 18 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:02.960 align:middle That lower dosage is sufficient... 19 00:01:03.080 --> 00:01:05.200 align:middle for these children between the ages of 5 and 11 years. 20 00:01:10.440 --> 00:01:14.440 align:middle A child’s immune system works according to the same principles as an adult’s. 21 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:16.520 align:middle So the way that the vaccine works is the same. 22 00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:18.760 align:middle And the side-effects are also the same. 23 00:01:18.960 --> 00:01:21.800 align:middle There are usually more side-effects after the second vaccination. 24 00:01:22.040 --> 00:01:25.880 align:middle These include pain at the injection site, headache or tiredness. 25 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:27.560 align:middle Very occasionally fever. 26 00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:32.360 align:middle But just as with other vaccines, these side- effects are mainly seen in the first 48 hours. 27 00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:35.360 align:middle And they go away again within one or two days. 28 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:38.800 align:middle The side-effects from this vaccine are mild to moderate. 29 00:01:43.720 --> 00:01:48.720 align:middle Before EMA approval, research took place in children aged 5-11 years. 30 00:01:48.840 --> 00:01:51.360 align:middle That research showed that antibody levels were just as high... 31 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:54.240 align:middle even after the child dose, as the levels among vaccinated adolescents. 32 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:57.680 align:middle Researchers also looked at protection after vaccination... 33 00:01:57.800 --> 00:02:00.920 align:middle among some of the children who participated in the study, about 2,000. 34 00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:03.160 align:middle The results showed that vaccinated children... 35 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:07.360 align:middle were 90% protected against coronavirus infection. 36 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:14.080 align:middle Most children do not become ill at all... 37 00:02:14.200 --> 00:02:16.400 align:middle if they have an infection with the coronavirus, or only become mildly ill. 38 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:19.520 align:middle They just have a cold for a day or two, or sometimes almost no symptoms at all. 39 00:02:19.640 --> 00:02:21.680 align:middle Hardly any different from the common cold. 40 00:02:21.800 --> 00:02:23.960 align:middle A very small percentage of children become more seriously ill... 41 00:02:24.080 --> 00:02:25.400 align:middle and have to go to hospital. 42 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:29.120 align:middle However, a more serious condition can also occur very occasionally. 43 00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:31.440 align:middle That has a difficult name: MIS-C. 44 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:36.240 align:middle This stands for Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. 45 00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:43.440 align:middle It involves inflammatory reactions in multiple organs, often including the heart. 46 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:46.200 align:middle It is very serious. A child with MIS-C almost always... 47 00:02:46.320 --> 00:02:49.880 align:middle has to be admitted to hospital, and often needs intensive care. 48 00:02:50.200 --> 00:02:53.920 align:middle The good news is: early detection enables effective treatment. 49 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:56.600 align:middle However, this possibility is so serious... 50 00:02:56.720 --> 00:03:01.160 align:middle and is estimated to occur in 1 out of every 3,000 to 4,000 infections... 51 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:06.080 align:middle that the Health Council has said: now that the Delta variant is circulating... 52 00:03:06.200 --> 00:03:07.840 align:middle so widely among children in this age group... 53 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:10.880 align:middle this is a valid reason to give parents the option to vaccinate their children. 54 00:03:11.440 --> 00:03:14.240 align:middle Other reasons included the huge impact... 55 00:03:14.360 --> 00:03:17.200 align:middle that the pandemic has on children’s everyday lives. 56 00:03:17.640 --> 00:03:20.320 align:middle The risk of school closures, not being able to play sports... 57 00:03:20.440 --> 00:03:22.480 align:middle not being able to hug grandparents. 58 00:03:22.600 --> 00:03:26.880 align:middle All these reasons combined led the Health Council... 59 00:03:27.000 --> 00:03:30.960 align:middle to advise giving parents the option to vaccinate their children.