This article tells you why children's new crown vaccine doses are the same as adults

The mechanism of vaccines is different from that of therapeutic drugs.

"Mom, the injection site still hurts today" "I'm so sleepy, I have to sleep again".

It is said that these phenomena are normal reactions to the new crown vaccine, but some parents still wonder in their hearts: Will this be related to the dose of the child's vaccination? Why are the vaccine doses the same for children and adults? What is the normal reaction?

In response to the above questions, a reporter from Science and Technology Daily interviewed Zhang Yuntao, chief scientist of Sinopharm Group China Biology, on November 20 to answer your questions

The vast majority of vaccine doses are "same"

When children are sick, the dose of medicine is generally less than that of adults.

Dosing of therapeutic drugs takes into account the weight and possibly the surface area of ​​the user's body

"The mechanism of vaccines is different from that of therapeutic drugs.

In fact, most vaccine doses do not differentiate between adults and children

"For example, the IPV vaccine (inactivated polio vaccine) is also injected by infants, and the injection dose for small-month-old children is the same as that for adults

During the clinical research process, the developers of the new crown vaccine conducted group trials of high, medium and low doses for adults and children, and found that the immune effects of adults and children at the same dose were basically the same

"At present, the public is vaccinated with medium-dose COVID-19 vaccines, not high-dose, because the medium-dose is sufficient to stimulate effective immune protection

The immune effect of the child after vaccination can be close to "full"

There are also some parents who worry that the child's immune system is still developing.

"First of all, in terms of mechanism, after the vaccine enters the body of a child, the mechanism for producing antibodies is exactly the same as that of an adult, and there is no difference

So, after the child is vaccinated, can the immune effect of the child be "full"? The answer is, close to full

Data show that immunogenicity refers to the performance that can cause an immune response, that is, an antigen can stimulate specific immune cells, activate, proliferate, and differentiate, and finally produce immune effector antibodies and sensitized lymphocytes

"From the research data of the new crown vaccine, the immunogenicity of people aged 18 to 59 is the best, followed by people under the age of 18, and the immunogenicity of people over the age of 60 is the worst.

"But in fact, this difference is very small, not particularly significant, and not statistically significant

Children's new crown vaccine research and adults start simultaneously

Although the new crown vaccination work for people aged 3 to 11 has only been started recently, the research work related to the vaccination of children with the new crown vaccine is carried out at the same time as adults
.

According to reports, on the day the Sinopharm China Bio-New Crown Vaccine clinical trial was launched (April 12, 2020), research work on two and three new crown vaccines for the age group of 3 to 17 years was carried out
.
In addition, Sinopharm Group China Bio has also launched a systematic study on the safety and immunogenicity of 3 to 17-year-olds in the United Arab Emirates
.

"The approval and use of the new crown vaccine in each age group has a strict approval process, and there needs to be enough corresponding data for emergency use or marketing approval
.
" Zhang Yuntao said, therefore, the design of clinical trials must be considered in advance, so that Better serve the formation of the national immune barrier
.

When conducting a comprehensive study and judgment on the emergency use of the new crown vaccine in the age group of 3 to 17, the data required include neutralizing antibody data, safety data,
etc.
"Safety data includes systemic safety data and local safety data
.
For example, local pain, redness, drowsiness, and rare adverse reactions should be observed
.
" Zhang Yuntao said that in terms of the incidence of adverse reactions of the new crown vaccine, the research results show that , adults and children are the same, there is no difference
.

Further reading

Children's vaccinations should pay attention to these

"If it's okay for half an hour after the vaccination, there should be no serious adverse reactions
.
" Zhang Yuntao said that the new crown vaccination work for people aged 3 to 11 has been going on for some time, and the children who have been vaccinated have three main adverse reactions: Fever, local pain, lethargy
.

In fact, with the substantial improvement of the vaccine production process, China's new crown vaccine research and development process is generally at an advanced level
.

"The safety data of children's vaccination against the new crown should be better than the safety data of other vaccines
.
" Zhang Yuntao said that after years of development, the vaccine process is now very mature, and advanced automation control technology has been integrated
.
For example, the bioreactor used in the new crown inactivated vaccine uses more advanced control technology and more optimized inactivation process; and in the purification step after the inactivation reaction, the new crown inactivated vaccine uses more advanced technology.
Purification technology and materials, less impurities may appear in vaccines
.
All of these provide important guarantees for the safety of the vaccine
.

So, what are the aspects that children need to pay more attention to when they are vaccinated than adults?

At the previous press conference held by the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council, experts in immunization planning said that in addition to understanding the new crown vaccination process, they should also pay attention to the health of their children
.
Do a good job of counseling, because children over the age of 5 may have some psychogenic reactions, and older children should avoid strenuous exercise and watch for 30 minutes
.
If the vaccinated child has a situation suspected to be related to the adverse reaction, it should be reported in time
.
If there is an overlap with the vaccination of other immunization program vaccines or non-immunization program vaccines, be sure to ensure that the new crown vaccine and other vaccinations are separated by more than 14 days
.
(Reporter Zhang Jiaxing)