Update: Everything Parents Need to Know on the Coronavirus Vaccines

Coronavirus vaccines have been shown in studies to effectively prevent virus infection and help you avoid becoming seriously ill.

Though it takes time to develop a safe and effective vaccine, thanks to unending investment and support in research and development and global collaboration, scientists worldwide could create a COVID-19 vaccine in record time while still adhering to regulatory requirements the world needs to follow.

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The coronavirus vaccines are the ones that prepare our immune systems to identify the viruses inside our body and combat them. On a more important note, it could take a few weeks for the body to develop immunity or protection against the virus that causes COVID-19 after vaccination.

There are already two vaccines created from Moderna and Pfizer, and both coronavirus vaccines have reached success rates of over 94 percent so far.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given both drugmakers emergency approval. They are now being rolled out in the United States and around other neighboring countries fighting COVID-19.

And with the rates surging around the world, parents are asking when things will return to normal and what the coronavirus vaccine might mean for their family, especially to their children, as vaccination delivery moves slowly.

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Questions parents frequently asked about the coronavirus vaccines

Scientists are also in the process of discovering how well coronavirus vaccines keep you and your family from spreading the virus that causes COVID-19 to others, even though you do not get sick.

As a result, we must continue to use all available resources to help avoid the pandemic even after vaccination. We learn more about how COVID-19 vaccines function in real-world conditions.

Will the COVID-19 vaccine safe for my family

Until the coronavirus vaccines are commonly used, each nation with COVID-19 spread has its regulatory bodies regulating country safety and efficacy. The WHO coordinates a range of independent technical bodies around the world that determine vaccines' safety before and after they are implemented to the people. 

Vaccines that have been approved for use by the WHO and FDA have undergone comprehensive and thorough research and clinical trials to demonstrate that they are both safe and successful in the prevention and treatment of diseases.

Even though coronavirus vaccines are being produced in the fastest way experts can, they will only be licensed by the FDA if they meet strict safety and efficacy requirements.

READ MORE: COVID-19 Vaccine: When Your Kids Can Get It and Everything Else You Should Know

Is moving off the vaccine testing too fast?

Things are moving quicker than usual production and presentation of vaccines,  production of every vaccine usually takes years, and coronavirus vaccines will be available within only 24 hours of FDA approval. 

"Having said that, I would wait to go completely back to normal until we see flattening and/or virtual elimination of the virus, which can lag full-scale implementation of a vaccine." 

Kevin Kathrotia, M.D, a neonatologist in Charlotte and the COO of Millenium Neonatologist, stated that the people trust the expert process because it had already introduced the vaccines in the market, it is safe and it works. This also means that people worldwide shall continue following protocols such as wearing a mask, social distancing, and frequent hand washing. 

The vaccine effect to the new variants

The CDC is also looking into the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, especially to the new variants coming out now. Though scientists are now trying to determine whether the vaccine works in the new variant, more research is required to assess the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines currently on the market.

As for now, our understanding of new variant characteristics is increasingly expanding. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will provide updates as soon as they become available.