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Quebec Rolls Out Bivalent Vaccines For Children Five To 11
Parents should weigh several factors when deciding whether to have kids vaccinated with the bivalent shot, a Montreal Children's Hospital doctor says.
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Quebec has quietly started offering bivalent COVID-19 vaccines to children five to 11.
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Bivalent vaccines adapted for this age group were distributed to vaccination clinics during the past few days, a Quebec Health Department spokesperson said this week.
Bivalent vaccines target both the original and Omicron variant of the virus.
Should younger children get the bivalent vaccine?
It’s not a yes-or-no answer, said Dr. Earl Rubin, director of the infectious diseases division at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
He said there isn’t a strong recommendation that all children should get a bivalent shot.
”The risks and benefits for each individual should be assessed,” he said, recommending parents speak with the child’s doctor.
Before the Omicron variant started spreading a year ago, vaccines largely prevented infection. Now, vaccines aren’t nearly as effective at preventing people from getting sick, though they do continue to prevent severe illness, Rubin said.
“Do kids get significant and severe illness? The overwhelming majority of children do not get that sick with COVID,” he added. There are exceptions, but in kids “it’s not an infection that often would threaten hospitalization, ICU admission or death.”
However, some children are at increased risk of getting very sick from COVID.
That includes those with underlying conditions — for example, those with diabetes, obesity, sickle cell anemia, immunocompromised states, renal failure, heart issues or lung issues, or who are neurologically impaired.
A child’s surroundings are another consideration. Some parents may want everybody in a household vaccinated with a bivalent vaccine to protect an elderly grandparent, Rubin noted.
It’s not as cut and dried as with other vaccines, he said. “Would I recommend to families that their child get vaccinated for measles, for example? I would not hesitate in the least.”
Rubin stressed that he is not discouraging parents from seeking out bivalent vaccines for children five to 11 or suggesting it’s a bad vaccine.
“I’m just saying that the risks and benefits really need to be assessed almost on an individual basis,” he said.
Advice may change if the situation deteriorates, Rubin added.
“The recommendations may change if we start to see (XBB.1.5) is causing more severe illness — the risk-benefit balance of vaccination or not will be swayed,” Rubin said.
He said the long-COVID issue “is not a major factor because it’s uncommon in children and then it comes down to what is the definition of long-COVID. Some kids will be wiped out for a couple of weeks or maybe a month or two but not longer-term like we’re seeing with adults.”
Bivalent vaccines are only approved for use as a booster dose, meaning children who have never received a COVID shot are not eligible.
Only about five per cent have received a booster shot.
Parents looking for information about vaccinating children could be forgiven for being confused by the Quebec Health Department’s website, which provides contradictory information.
In addition, both the English and French pages on the site say a Moderna bivalent vaccine is approved for children five and older.
Quebec’s Health Department did not respond to a request for clarification from the Montreal Gazette.
