Despite two European countries pausing use of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine due to rare side effects, officials are reassuring anxious parents that the best way to protect your child is by getting vaccinated.
Dr. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children's Hospital, reaffirmed on KCBS Radio's "Ask an Expert" that the safest way to avoid heart inflammation is to receive the vaccine.
Both Denmark and Sweden on Wednesday paused the Moderna vaccine because of possible cardiovascular side effects.
"We know that it is a very rare side effect among children to have myocarditis or pericarditis, the inflammation around the lining of the heart," Bulmberg said. "Of course that is very scary, but the risk of getting myocarditis is actually higher by not being vaccinated."
He explained that even though it is a true risk, heart inflammation can also occur when children contract coronavirus. "The rate of the heart inflammation with COVID-19 is actually higher than after vaccination, so the safest way to keep your child from having that is to get them vaccinated," he said.
For children with heart conditions, Blumberg assured that the vaccine is still safe.
"I would encourage people to talk to their doctors or other healthcare providers to get the latest information and personalized recommendations," he said. "But the CDC has looked at that (data) and they recommend that people who have serious heart conditions should be vaccinated."
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