Your Guide for Covid Vaccination for kids in the UAE

Covid is over! Or at least we would like to think so. With life going back to normal – aside from the mandatory masks – there is one thing that is a hot topic amongst most mums. That topic is Covid vaccination for kids. Many mums have many concerns about vaccinating their children. Is it safe? Should our children take it? Which Covid Vaccination is the best for kids? You will find all the answers here.

Is the Covid vaccination safe for kids?

First of all, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved some types of vaccinations for children younger than 16 years old. They ran several studies on vaccinating children against Covid, and some types of vaccinations proved to be 100% effective. After those studies, they urged parents to vaccinate their children to prevent them from getting or spreading the virus.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that some children from the age of 12 through 15 have had the following side effects:

– Pain where the shot was given
– Fatigue
– Headache
– Chills
– Muscle pain
– Fever
– Joint pain

But the good news is, those side effects are not long lasting. They also do not differ much from the side effects adults might experience.

On the other hand, they stated that there are no available vaccines for children under the age of 12. They also stated that children with a known history of a severe allergic reaction should not take the vaccine. To sum up, the vaccine is safe to take for healthy children from the age of 12 to the age of 15 with no previous medical proven allergies.

As for the UAE, the Ministry of Health approved the emergency local use of Pfizer vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and15 following clinical trials and a strict assessment.

Should I give my child the Covid vaccine?

The idea of giving children the vaccination scares many mums. While we sign up our children for other vaccinations and shots, should we do the same with the Covid vaccinations? Some mums think, why risk giving our children the vaccine when it is proven that Covid-19 isn’t as dangerous for kids as it is for adults. The main reason for this fear is that we do not know yet what are the long term effects of the covid vaccines. And so, many mums are against vaccinating their children.

In contrast to the previous, some mums rushed to sign up their children to take the vaccine once they knew they could. The reason behind that is that they want to immunize their kids against Covid. The past two years have been hard on many children as they were locked down and unable to get out or socialize. This encourages some mums to give their kids the vaccine. They believe that getting it will make their children safe to rejoin the world and resume the activities they put on hold during the pandemic. In other words, they believe that the sooner their kids get vaccinated, the sooner they go back to their normal lives.

So, the answer on whether or not to vaccinate your children remains unclear. And mostly it is a case of personal preferences. The best thing we can recommend is you research this with your spouse, consult doctors, and make the final decision.

Vaccinations for kids in the UAE

While there are many types of Covid vaccinations available in the UAE. Such as Sputnik V and

Sinopharm. The Dubai Health Authority administered that Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is the only given for children. That is because studies proved that it is 100% effective in protecting children from the age of 12 to the age of 15 against Covid-19.

They also prioritized this vaccine for certain groups. This includes children with chronic diseases, and children who live with vulnerable family members. The covid vaccination is mandatory for children of the age of 16 and older. On the other hand, the Dubai Health Authority also set criteria for children who are ineligible to take the vaccine.