You Asked :: We Got Answers {COVID Vaccines}

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This content is paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. To find a COVID vaccine near you, visit vaccines.gov; text your ZIP code to 438829 (GETVAX); or call 1-800-232-0233. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about COVID vaccines.

you asked we got answersYou asked. We got answers. We were grateful for the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Cadilla of Nemours Chidlren’s Health to get those answers about COVID-19 vaccines. We know this information will be helpful to Greater Louisville families as they make their decisions about vaccinating their children.


ADRIANA CADILLA, MD, NEMOURS CHILDREN’S HEALTH

Adriana Cadilla, MD
Adriana Cadilla, MD

Adriana Cadilla, MD is a Pediatric Infectious Disease Doctor with Nemours Children’s Health. She is a fellow mom and highly respected in the medical community.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Fellowship :: Pediatric Infectious Diseases – University of Chicago Hospitals, 2011

Internship Residency :: Pediatrics – Miami Children’s Hospital, 2008

Medical School :: MD – Ponce School of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2005

BOARD CERTIFICATIONS

  • American Board of Pediatrics/Infectious Diseases
  • American Board of Pediatrics/General Pediatrics

:: INTERVIEW QUESTION+ANSWER RECAP ::

We know that many parents still have questions about COVID vaccines for children. We polled our audience over the last few weeks and found that many questions overlap among families! Dr. Cadilla is going to be answering some of our readers’ most frequently asked audience questions. 

Courtney Snow, LMC
Hello, Kentuckiana Moms! My name is Courtney Snow, and I am so glad that you are tuning in for a very special interview with Pediatric Infectious Disease doctor, Adriana Cadilla of Nemours Children’s Health. This video is recorded in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We know that many parents still have questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children. We polled our audience over the last few weeks and found that many questions overlap among families. Dr. Cadilla is going to be answering some of our readers’ most frequently asked audience questions. Dr. Cadilla, thank you so much for being with us today.

Dr. Adriana Cadilla
Thank you so much for the opportunity. We always enjoy being able to communicate with the public, so we can get the right information out there so that families can make the best decisions.

Courtney Snow, LMC
Yes, yes, absolutely. So, we’re going to jump into a few questions. A concern many parents have expressed is, “If I’m vaccinated, am I less likely to get long COVID, and how common is long COVID in children?”

Dr. Adriana Cadilla
Long COVID… This is one of those entities that we continue to study, because we are not fully aware of why it happens and how it happens. We can’t predict whom it’s going to happen to. These are the patients that have these lingering symptoms after having had acute infection with COVID. The more common are those patients that say they’re continuously tired or fatigued, they still can’t smell, and some of them experience anxiety or breathing problems. And, these symptoms can persist for a long period of time; they can be debilitating. And so, it’s definitely important for us as a scientific community to try and figure out why this is happening and figure out ways to prevent it or manage it. So for now, it does appear that it’s somewhat common – 10% to 30% of persons that have had acute COVID infection do report these lingering symptoms that can occur for weeks, sometimes months, before they start getting better. But, it does appear from what we’re looking at that it’s less likely to occur if you’ve been vaccinated. Also, there’s early data to suggest that receiving a vaccine after experiencing long COVID may be of benefit. And, there’s even more data coming out with that, which we’re looking forward to. As far as kids, there’s not a lot of data on kids, unfortunately. But, it does seem that it affects them also, maybe to the same degree, and we certainly do see them in clinic referrals. And, there have been changes. And, so it’s important for us to address this so that we can hopefully be able to manage it and prevent it in the future.

Courtney Snow, LMC
Awesome. Thank you. Next, several parents have asked, “How well are COVID vaccines working against the variants?” So, how would you answer that?

Dr. Adriana Cadilla
I think initially, we were hoping that these vaccines would be a cure, right, and no infections, you know, they’re 100% effective, that would be ideal. We’ve now had information that it’s not the case, people can get infections after having been vaccinated. However, data continues to demonstrate that those that were vaccinated and acquire COVID are not the ones that are getting very ill. They’re not the ones that are dying. They’re not the ones filling up our hospitals. It’s still the patients that have not been vaccinated that are having the more severe outcomes. So, it’s proven to be continuously helpful, even with these variants, which just keep coming. 

Courtney Snow, LMC
So, do you have any advice for parents who have concerns about potential long-term side effects of COVID vaccines in children? What do you want parents to know?

Dr. Adriana Cadilla
I want parents to know that this vaccine has been under such scrutiny from the very beginning, right? There are multiple ways for side effects to be reported. We know from years of experience administering vaccines for all the other vaccine-preventable illnesses that the majority of side effects are seen within the first four to eight weeks at the most. I can assure you that I can’t tell you how your child’s going to fare if they acquire COVID, because some high-risk children are going to be more likely to have severe infection. But, we do know it could be a completely healthy kid coming into the hospital, which you’ve seen as well. So, the side effects associated with having acute disease far outweigh those that you can have from the vaccine.

Courtney Snow, LMC
Okay, great. The last question we have for you today is, “Why should my child get a COVID vaccine if children are already at lower risk for severe illness from COVID?”

Dr. Adriana Cadilla
Echoing what I said earlier, I can’t tell you how your child is going to fare without having had that vaccine. They may be well, yes, but they might not be, and if there is a safe, effective, protective vaccine, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want that extra protection there. So, definitely still get the shots.

Courtney Snow, LMC
Good. Yeah. Good follow-up to the previous question. Wonderful. I think that’s about all the time we have for today, Dr. Cadilla. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions for our audience. And, thank you to all of you who submitted questions for review. We wish we had time to get to all of them. We appreciate your willingness to engage in this conversation, so that we can all make the best choices for our families. We will be publishing a recap of this interview for everyone to reference on our website, so keep an eye out for that shortly. And in the meantime, please share with a parent who might find this information helpful. But Dr. Cadilla, thank you again for taking the time to share your expertise with us.

Dr. Adriana Cadilla
Thank you so much for the opportunity. 

*Shortly after this interview was recorded, CDC approved boosters for kids ages 5-11 and recommends them for everyone 5 and older.*


:: CATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW ::


Thank you to all of YOU who submitted questions for review! We wish we had time to get to all of them and appreciate your willingness to engage in this conversation, so that we can all make the best choices for our families.

Learn more about the facts on COVID vaccines and where you can find vaccines near you in Lousiville.

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