COVID and kids: They are not immune

“Even if I get COVID, I’m young and strong, I’ll be fine.”

“My kids will just get a runny nose. There’s no need for me to get a vaccine.”

But the short or long-term effects of COVID-19 cannot be predicted.

“You don’t know how COVID-19 will affect you, or your children, until you get it,” explained Dr. David Torr, a medical health officer with Saskatchewan Health Authority. “You might get the sniffles, your lungs might shut down, there may be other complications and even, unfortunately, death.”

The new variants, particularly Delta, are affecting mostly unvaccinated populations which tend to be younger people in Saskatchewan. So, no matter what you’ve heard, kids are just as much at risk as the rest of us.

“This isn’t a virus to play Russian roulette with,” added Dr. Torr. “COVID is not gone and we can’t act like it is. The risk is too high for adults of any age and for children of any age to contract the virus. At this time, we cannot know who is going to recover and who is not.”

The best way to protect children under the age of 12 who are not eligible to receive a vaccine yet is to not only get a vaccine yourself, so we can reduce transmissibility of the virus in the community, but to practice infection control measures available to all residents such as frequent hand hygiene, distancing and masking, particularly in indoor public places.

“The more of us who are eligible for vaccine  do get vaccinated, the less COVID will spread, and we can thereby also reduce the potential for getting more variants,” Dr. Torr explained. “The simplest way to protect yourself and those around you is to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccines are safe and effective. At the same time, also use frequent hand hygiene, distancing and masking, particularly in indoor public places.”