Surname 1 Student’s Name: Date: Topic: Covid-19 Vaccination for Children General Purpose: to inform Specific Purpose: To inform the general public and parents specifically about the potential of Covid-19 Vaccines in freeing children from severe illness Thesis: Covid-19 vaccines for children have undergone clinical trials and found to be potentially effective in freeing children from the risk of having severe illness I. Introduction Children younger than the age of 12 years urgently need a safe, effective vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). They are as likely as adults to be infected and get sick, have short and long-term complications of the virus, and spread Covid to their peers in school or parents at home. It was initially estimated that countries, including the United States, required the vaccination of about 67 percent of the population to ensure vaccine effectiveness in controlling Covid-19 spread (Alfieri et al., 2021). This was at the point where the concept of “herd immunity” was regarded as the most crucial aspect of finally bringing the pandemic to an end. Unfortunately, it may not be possible to attain herd immunity in the United States as we have children making up 22 percent of the total population. This makes it imperative to include children in the Covid-19 vaccination efforts and plans as the nation seeks to increase community protection against the virus that has ravaged the world. As an American who is tired of the unending circle of the pandemic that has disrupted normal life, it is important that every effort is made to find a lasting solution to end the suffering. I have conducted a literature search on credible peer-reviewed scholarly journals to find out information about the state of Covid-19 Surname 2 vaccination for children. Covid-19 vaccines for children have undergone clinical trials and found to be potentially effective in freeing children from the risk of having severe illness and death. First, I will describe the status of the coronavirus disease among children since the pandemic began. Secondly, I will explore the current state of Covid-19 vaccine for children and how it affects the rates of disease and their outcomes. Thirdly, I will examine the future of the vaccination of children and what it could mean. II. Body Despite the milder symptoms of Covid-19 in children compared to adults, evidence shows that the disease has the potential to cause severe illness and long-term complications. According to an article by Walter et al. (2021) in the New England Journal of Medicine, persons younger than 18 years constituted a quarter of weekly cases of the in the US and 1.6 to 4.2 percent total hospitalizations. Therefore, they are they represent a high percentage of the coronavirus cases, playing a huge role in the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant. An article posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its website on November 23rd, 2021 indicates that Covid-19 is among the top ten causes of mortality for children aged 5 to 11 years. The same article shows by mid-October 2021, there were over 8,300 hospitalizations and approximately 100 deaths related to Covid-19 within the 5-11 years age group (CDC, 2021). Some of the longterm complications causing hospitalization of children due to Covid include multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a condition of inflammation of body parts like the heart, skin, lungs, eyes, brain, kidneys, or gastrointestinal organs.
