COVID-19 Vaccine Updates
On June 17, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved the vaccine for children under five a day later, making approximately 20 million children eligible for daycare or preschool.
Both the Moderna & Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines can be administered to children six months through five years of age. The Moderna vaccine will be a series two shots spaced one month apart. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is a total of three shots, given over the course of eleven weeks. Parents and caregivers will be able to monitor the safety of the vaccines by utilizing V-Safe – a personalized and confidential health check-in. These check-ins are done via text message or web survey to track how a child feels after receiving their COVID-19 vaccine.
Both vaccines produce mild side effects in young children. The most common side effects are irritability, sleepiness and pain at the injection site. The Moderna vaccine trial showed that young children are more likely to develop a fever than adolescents and adults. Fever was less common in the Pfizer trial. Neither trial reported any cases of myocarditis but the FDA said there is not enough data to determine a myocarditis risk factor in young children.
References:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-vaccine-kids-under-5-pfizer-moderna-fda-authorize/
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0618-children-vaccine.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/covid-vaccines-children-under-5-rcna34107
About PGM
Physicians Group Management (PGM) is one of the fastest-growing medical billing companies in the United States. For over 35 years, PGM has been providing medical billing and practice management services and software to physicians, healthcare facilities, and laboratories. PGM’s current client base encompasses the full spectrum of medical specialties, including Internal Medicine, Dermatology, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Pathology, EMS & Ambulatory Services, Cardiology, Nephrology, Urology, Pain Management, OB/GYN, Gastroenterology, Independent Laboratory, and many more. PGM’s medical billing and practice management solutions include: –
- A full suite of practice management and medical billing solutions each tailored to the specific needs of your practice
- CCHIT-certified electronic medical record software and services
- Streamlined, customized credentialing services for providers of all sizes
- Practice management software that provides advanced financial and practice analysis tools, specifically designed to give enhanced visibility of operations at the click of a button
- Laboratory billing software that offers best-in-class systems to streamline, and manage and track, financial and administrative processes