The paediatrician joined our colleagues on RTL Radio for an extended interview and Q+A session on Monday morning.
Dr Kayser-Wengler underlined her surprise over the government decision to open up Covid-19 vaccinations for children aged five to eleven. The Association of Paediatricians was still working on their guidelines and awaiting further results from international studies when the call was made.
In the United States, about 1.5 million children have already been fully inoculated with promising results and few reported side effects, similar as in Israel. Nevertheless, the Association would have hoped for fully finished studies before going ahead with the procedure. For the time being, children can only be vaccinated in one of the official centres and not in paediatric offices.
So far, the European Union has only approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children. They receive a third of the dose designed for adults and can expect similar side effects, such as pain in the arm that was jabbed or minor headaches. No significant side effect, like an anaphylactic shock, has yet been reported, nor has any child died after getting the shot. Dr Kayser-Wengler also emphasised that no long-term effects are to be expected.
The paediatrician further explained that the vaccination of vulnerable children should still be considered a priority, same as the one for those with vulnerable individuals in their immediate surroundings, which she highly recommends.
In general, children are unlikely to become severely ill if they contract Covid-19, but the risk is considerably higher for those with preexisting conditions. Dr Kayser-Wengler thus recommends that children below the age of 12 without any condition can still wait before getting the jab. If a child has already been infected with Covid-19, they should wait at least three months before getting inoculated.
There is no minimum weight that children need to have before receiving the shot, the paediatrician further noted. Earlier on, there was however a recommendation that stated children should weigh at least 25 kilograms.
Dr Kayser-Wengler believes it inevitable that booster jabs will also be introduced for children at some point, although the time frame is not yet clear. She underlined the importance of explaining the procedure to children to build up trust. In the case of severe panic, there is the possibility of local anaesthesia via special Band-Aid, after which the shot is no longer felt.
At the moment, most children that contract Covid-19 get it from unvaccinated people, the paediatrician underlined. This also shows with patients arriving in the children's hospital, thus reinforcing the importance of having adults vaccinated. Dr Kayser-Wengler therefore also voiced her support for a general vaccine mandate.
