If your under 12 year old had Covid? Vax question

[smilequeen]

None of us had Covid and have all been vaxxed except our 10 year old. He tested positive for Covid after 24 hours of cold symptoms last month.

WWYD re the vax at his age since he had Covid so recently? I think we will get his antibodies tested to make sure it wasn’t a false positive as is definitely vax him ASAP if he hasn’t had it.

[SnuggleBuggles]

My thought is that life will be easier if you have that proof of vaccination either way. Easier than explaining that he hasn’t been vaccinated but had covid. Most venues that require vaccinations aren’t going to budge without proof of a negative test or the card. I wouldn’t worry about the overlap but I’ll let someone more versed chime in.


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[Kindra178]

It's bizarre to me (and a CDC failure) that natural immunity and recent infection do not count at all towards immunity. Please wait 90 days before getting him his shot.

[mmsmom]

The issue is no one knows how long the antibodies will last nor do they know what level the antibodies need to be in order to prevent infection. If it were my child I would have him vaccinated.

[AnnieW625]

Dd1’s friend who had Covid in August didn’t wait 90 days. She is fully vaccinated now and has been since early this month. I think she waited whatever the minimum was. I think she was scared of getting it again (she wasn’t hospitalized; just flu like symptoms for 3 days; but I think it was enough to scare her) and then like Snuggles said it is almost easier to have it to be able to show proof of vaccination. Not sure about the rest of the US but California requires a vax card or a negative test to attend any kind of event indoor over 1000 people and LA County has the same rule for outdoor events as well.

To be 100% completely honest though if it wasn’t for the testing requirement to attend events for everyone 2+ (that is a supposed to expire on 11/1, but I am sure will get extended) I would probably wait until April when DD2 turns 12 to have her vaccinated but she is missing out on stuff we do as a family (go to hockey games) so I would like her to get vaxxed so she can start going with us. If the OP doesn’t have a vax mandate and the doctors say wait 90 days then I would be happy waiting 90 days. Good luck.


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[o_mom]

It's bizarre to me (and a CDC failure) that natural immunity and recent infection do not count at all towards immunity. Please wait 90 days before getting him his shot.

Based on what?

[Kindra178]

Based on what?

I guess I don't understand your question.

[o_mom]

I guess I don't understand your question.

What is your recommendation to wait 90 days based on?

[wendibird22]

Here in NY the guidance from local health depts seems to be to wait 90 day but then absolutely get vaccinated after that.

[Kindra178]

What is your recommendation to wait 90 days based on?

What Wendibird said. The guidance used to be wait, and then it wasn't. I didn't wait and it was a mistake.

[AnnieW625]

What Wendibird said. The guidance used to be wait, and then it wasn't. I didn't wait and it was a mistake.

So did you get Covid again or did they test for antibodies and found the vax didn’t work as well? (Just curious)


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[smilequeen]

It's bizarre to me (and a CDC failure) that natural immunity and recent infection do not count at all towards immunity. Please wait 90 days before getting him his shot.

I agree with that. Natural immunity appears to be great. And would last at least 90 days. I do lean towards waiting that long. Getting a negative test for entrance just isn’t that difficult. If there is any risk to vaccination too soon, with a super low Covid risk group, I don’t care to take it.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I agree with that. Natural immunity appears to be great. And would last at least 90 days. I do lean towards waiting that long. Getting a negative test for entrance just isn’t that difficult. If there is any risk to vaccination too soon, with a super low Covid risk group, I don’t care to take it.

How long might be test positive though? It might not be as easy to get that negative test, based on what comments I’ve seen from other parents on school pages.


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[twowhat?]

This is definitely an "ask your pediatrician" question. I believe the guidance is 90 days. I also believe the recommendation is still a strong YES to getting the vaccine even if you've had a documented covid infection.

Natural infection CAN lead to great natural immunity. But not always. When you are naturally infected, your immune system will make antibodies to all parts of the virus, including the spike protein and other components. The vaccine on the other hand prompts your immune system to focus making antibodies to the spike protein only. Why is this important? Because the spike protein is what the virus uses to gain entry into cells. Entry into cells is necessary for the virus to replicate. Targeting the spike protein prevents the virus from infecting more cells and thus prevents replication. Antibodies from natural immunity should also do this, to some extent, but in a natural infection your body is making antibodies to many virus components and not just the spike protein. The immune response from a natural infection between individuals also varies for many reasons, one of which is initial viral load. This is (in an oversimplified explanation) why vaccination is still recommended.

If it were my child, I'd want her to get Pfizer (the only one that will be soon be authorized for the under-12s) after the recommended period of time had elapsed. But I caveat this with "ask your pediatrician" because your pediatrician is the one with your child's medical history and information about underlying issues and the severity of the covid infection, etc.

[MSWR0319]

Make sure you’re getting the antibody test that tests specifically for covid 19. When I asked about getting DS tested for antibodies in April (we were doing blood work anyway) she said the only test they could run was for coronavirus antibodies, not covid 19 specifically. So a positive wouldn’t necessarily mean covid antibodies. She said they didn’t have the option to run the more detail tests like the one the Red Cross could run. That may have changed by now and it’s more readily available, but I’d ask to make sure you’re getting the test you want.

[Liziz]

I'm confused -- although I've read many places that you can count on antibodies from a COVID infection to last at least 90 days, I haven't come across anything that says it's unsafe or unwise to get vaccinated earlier. Anything I've seen simply says you can get vaccinated once you're out of your isolation period for the infection. The only time I've seen it said you simply should NOT get vaccinated within 90 days is if you've had the monoclonal antibodies. Can someone help point me to the guidelines saying it's unwise to get vaccinated soon after a positive infection?

With the current information I've read, in the OP's case I'd get my child vaccinated when it's available. Assuming the child has some antibodies from the recent infection, I wouldn't drop everything to be first in line, but I would do it at the first convenient time.

[Kindra178]

So did you get Covid again or did they test for antibodies and found the vax didn’t work as well? (Just curious)


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Neither. I am just having some symptoms my doctors attribute to getting my shot too soon after Covid infection. I waited about 60 days, for the record.

[carolinacool]

I’ve heard that if you get vaccinated shortly after having Covid, the side effects from the inoculation can be much stronger.

I honestly would probably wait. Our state’s tool kit for schools says that if you have been diagnosed with Covid in the last 90 days, you are considered “immune“ and are not required to quarantine if exposed in class and you have no symptoms. I know that won’t apply everywhere, but I’m just of the mind you don’t have to rush out as soon as possible when you have some coverage.

[bisous]

I'm confused -- although I've read many places that you can count on antibodies from a COVID infection to last at least 90 days, I haven't come across anything that says it's unsafe or unwise to get vaccinated earlier. Anything I've seen simply says you can get vaccinated once you're out of your isolation period for the infection. The only time I've seen it said you simply should NOT get vaccinated within 90 days is if you've had the monoclonal antibodies. Can someone help point me to the guidelines saying it's unwise to get vaccinated soon after a positive infection?

With the current information I've read, in the OP's case I'd get my child vaccinated when it's available. Assuming the child has some antibodies from the recent infection, I wouldn't drop everything to be first in line, but I would do it at the first convenient time.

That was my understanding as well.

[bisous]

Neither. I am just having some symptoms my doctors attribute to getting my shot too soon after Covid infection. I waited about 60 days, for the record.

Interesting. What leads them to conclude it is from the vaccine and not from the original COVID infection?

[AnnieW625]

I agree with that. Natural immunity appears to be great. And would last at least 90 days. I do lean towards waiting that long. Getting a negative test for entrance just isn’t that difficult. If there is any risk to vaccination too soon, with a super low Covid risk group, I don’t care to take it.

Oh yes it isn’t that getting the test is hard….the LA Kings are covering the costs of the tests at the local AHL level (Ontario Reign) where we go it is just having to get her tested on a weekly basis if she wants to go to games.

Dh and I actually just talked about it this AM (after I first responded) and decided even though she will miss most of the hockey games this season (we might do the test for a special event like the Teddy Bear Toss, and NYE) if the vaccine mandate continues we don’t really have a problem with her waiting until she is 12 to get the shot. Dh and I would rather have an appropriate size shot for her age (she is 5’2” and about 95lbs) vs. getting a 5-11 dose within 5 months of turning 12. Now if no masks at school for those who are vaccinated happens then we might get it sooner, but really we don’t see the harm in waiting; but I do miss having her with us but Dh made a good point about waiting.


Neither. I am just having some symptoms my doctors attribute to getting my shot too soon after Covid infection. I waited about 60 days, for the record.

That sucks. I hope you feel better soon.


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[essnce629]

Interesting. What leads them to conclude it is from the vaccine and not from the original COVID infection?That was my first thought as well. One of my best friends had Covid a year ago and even though her illness was considered mild (sick for about a week) she started experiencing some long covid symptoms several months after her initial infection. She is not vaccinated, but if she was I'm sure any side effect would be attributed to the vaccine and not Covid.

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[Kindra178]

Interesting. What leads them to conclude it is from the vaccine and not from the original COVID infection?

Certain symptoms dissipated but returned after shot number 2.

OP, I'm all for vax. My advice was just wait 90 days. I will add that my twins, who weren't sick at all with Covid, were fairly sick with both covid shots.

[doberbrat]

That's a hard one. Personally, I'd probably wait the 90 days but, it would also depend on how close to 12 dc is, how big they are, what your local requirements are etc. If I had to repeatedly get tested to goto stuff I cared about, I'd prob lean towards getting the shot sooner. If dc is within 3-4mo of 12, and tiny, get it sooner. Full adult sized? wait till 12. Are shots easy to get? get them sooner. Must jump through hoops, getting up at 3am to snag a slot like I did when I got my shot in Feb? wait till they're more available.

In other words, I dont freaking know! Its so hard to know what is the "right" thing! :grouphug:

[AngB]

For us I think we'd wait the 90 days and then probably only do one vax and then the other like....months later. IIRC you have a boy so I am concerned about the albeit small myocarditis risk in boys especially and having had covid that would make me more weary as well. My brother actually unintentionally did this, getting his first shot in January and then his second in like...August when they were required. (He works nights and never wanted to mess with scheduling the second one.)

I just found out one of my kids is quarantined, once again they haven't told me which kid, except our district has decided to let quarantined kids come to school with masks (my kids already wear masks but they are optional), and of course as luck would have it we already have a cold going around. (I don't think covid because I've done 2 tests but I have been pretty miserable so wouldn't shock me.) I feel like I'm not going very far out of my way to test my kids though at this point while the other parents in our district our busy suing the health department for even having quarantines at all, etc. Anyway, we may end up in this boat as apparently the close contact was lunch/snack as far as I can tell unless they are blanketly assuming close contacts aren't masked because it's optional.

[mom2binsd]

OP's child may continue to test positive for up to 60-90 days and if a negative test is what is needed OR proof of vaccine for entry to places than I'd go with the vax. Maybe either get covid antibody testing or try and see if the child tests negative already first. I think I'd also wait though if you can test negative.

[dogmom]

Here is my understanding of COVID vaccines for those who have had COVID:
Initially those that had a history of COVID infection were instructed to wait 90 days. That was based on several factors: it appeared people weren’t getting COVID within 90 days of infection, we weren’t sure how the response to the vaccine would be, we had a shortage of the vaccine so why use in on this group. There is more information now about COVID immunity, vaccine immunity vs. natural immunity, response to those who have had COVID to the vaccine. There appears to be no side effects to those who have had COVID getting the vaccine. Yes, there is some evidence there might be a stronger response to the vaccine for a couple of days, but it appears it shifts it. So a bigger response to the first dose than the second dose. Having said this it is very individual. I know people who have had COVID who felt fine afterwards, and those like me that got sick as a dog for two days. Either way, it’s not a big deal. There are some reports that people suffering Long Haul COVID actually had symptoms improve after getting the vaccine. There is definitely evidence that people can get infected twice from COVID. People who get the vaccine that get infected with COVID afterwards not only haves lesser symptoms, but have a lower rate of long haul symptoms. So I think having the vaccine really does confer a high level of benefit to make up for the risk.

I guess to the original poster’s question of should she get her child vaccinated I think for me it would depend on my holiday plans. If I was planning to see family members who are at risk, even if they got the vaccine, it seem like an extra level of safety to get the child that could be a possible vector for infection to be vaccinated and reduce the chance of some holiday outbreak, even if a small one. That’s just me, however.