FAQ

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Getting the COVID-19 vaccine (youth)

Does a youth who had COVID-19 still need the vaccine?
People who have had COVID-19 should still get vaccinated. This is because not everyone develops a strong immune response (protection) after having COVID-19. Vaccination is the best way to help develop immunity and provides more reliable protection than COVID-19.
 
Youth can wait 3-6 months from when their symptoms started (or from when they tested positive if they had no symptoms) for their booster dose. Check with your health care provider if you have questions.
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How can I help support a youth who is afraid of needles?
Vaccines can cause some pain, stress, and anxiety for children and youth of all ages. Go to our reducing pain, stress, and anxiety with vaccinations section for tips on how to have a more positive vaccination experience. 
 
You can also contact your local health unit and ask to speak with a public health nurse about supports available in your area. 
 

CARD System

 
You can use the CARD system - Comfort, Ask, Relax, Distract to help your child find their preferred way to prepare for the vaccine.
 
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Risks of COVID-19 infection and benefits of vaccination (youth)

I heard that children and teens don’t transmit the COVID-19 virus to others. So how does my child or teen getting vaccinated help protect others?
Just like adults, children and teens can transmit (spread) COVID-19 to others. 
 
  • Early in the pandemic, children and teens were not often identified as spreaders of COVID-19. However, this was mostly because schools and activities were closed or not held in person.
  • Since things have opened up again, outbreaks among teens at camps, sporting events, and schools show that teens spread COVID-19.
  • Further, studies that looked at the risk of children and teens spreading COVID-19 to others in their households showed that they do spread the virus.
  • Children and teens can spread COVID-19 to others when they do not have symptoms.
Vaccination reduces the risk of children and teens getting COVID-19 and spreading it to others. 
 
 
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What are the risks of COVID-19 infection in youth?
While most youth who get COVID-19 have a minor illness, some can get very sick. Children and youth with certain underlying medical conditions have a higher chance of more serious symptoms if they get COVID-19. Infected children and youth are also able to pass on COVID-19 to other people in their families and communities.
 
Youth who get COVID-19: 
 
  • Can get severe lung infection and heart issues like myocarditis from COVID-19.
  • May continue to feel sick weeks or months after the initial illness. This is called Post-COVID-19 condition or “long COVID”. Early studies suggest that "long COVID" is less common in children and young people than adults.
  • Are at risk of developing a serious but rare condition called multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) after COVID-19 infection. MIS-C is caused by an exaggerated immune response, leading to severe widespread inflammation and can appear several weeks after infection. 
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COVID-19 vaccine safety (youth)

Are mRNA COVID-19 vaccines safe for youth?
The Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are safe for youth.  The vaccines were tested in youth in clinical trials. The Pfizer vaccine was tested in youth aged 12 to 15 in clinical trials that included more than 2200 teens. The Moderna vaccine was tested on more than 3700 teens aged 12 to 17. The clinical trials compared the immune response, safety, and effectiveness of the vaccine to a placebo. Health Canada reviewed the data from the clinical trials and approved the vaccines after determining that: 
 
• They are safe.
• They are effective (they work).  
• The benefits of the vaccines outweigh any risks. 
 
Health Canada has an extensive review and approval process for vaccines. This ensures the safety and quality of vaccines. Once a vaccine is approved and begins to be used, its safety is continuously monitored. 
 
Since approval, hundreds of millions of mRNA vaccines have been safely given to people 12 years of age and older worldwide. As of November 2021, over two million youth in Canada and over 250 thousand youth in BC aged 12 to 17 had already received a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
 
Side effects of COVID-19 vaccines are usually mild and go away within a few days. Serious side effects are very rare. 
 
The most common side effects reported by youth are:
 
  • Pain where the shot was given
  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Chills
  • Muscle ache
In very rare cases, myocarditis or pericarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle or lining) can occur. Typically, this condition has been mild to moderate. People have recovered with or without treatment. The chance of getting myocarditis from COVID-19 is much greater than getting it from the vaccine.
 
The medical and scientific community is confident in the long-term safety of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
 
For more information on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines for youth, read the  Vaccine Safety for Youth handout from the BCCDC. 
 
 
 
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Can mRNA vaccines cause inflammation of the heart?
Rare cases of inflammation of the heart (myocarditis and pericarditis) have been reported after getting the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. In Canada, this has occurred at a rate of about 1.7 cases per 100,000 doses of Moderna vaccine and 1.1 cases per 100,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for older children and adults.
 

Cases are seen more often after the second dose and in males 12-29 years of age. The rate of cases in males 18-29 years of age after the second dose are about 5 times higher with the Moderna vaccine compared to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The rate of cases in younger children is much lower. In the US, this occurred at a rate of about 2.7 cases per 1,000,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine in males 5-11 years of age. Rates for children 6 months to less than 5 years of age are unknown at this time. It is expected that cases will be very rare and rates will be lower than the rates for those older than 5 years of age.

Typically, this condition has been mild to moderate. People have recovered with or without treatment. The risk of myocarditis is much greater following COVID-19 infection than following vaccination.
 
 
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Are the spike proteins generated by the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines harmful?
There is no evidence that vaccine-generated spike proteins are harmful. 
 
  • The mRNA vaccines work by teaching our cells how to make a harmless spike protein that triggers an immune response inside our bodies. The body then makes antibodies to help you fight infection if the COVID-19 virus enters your body.
  • Some people are concerned that the spike proteins generated by COVID-19 vaccines can cause harm to the body’s organs or tissues. However, there is no evidence that the vaccine-generated spike proteins cause harm.
  • COVID-19 infection, however, can damage many organs and tissues. It is important to focus on the right risk.
  • The vaccine-generated spike proteins don't last long in the body; the immune system quickly identifies, attacks, and destroys them.
  • Scientists estimate that the spike proteins, like other proteins our bodies create, may stay in the body for up to a few weeks.
Want to know more about this?
 
 
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Are there long-term side effects of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in youth?
The medical and scientific community is confident in the long-term safety of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for several reasons:
 
  • The history of vaccines shows that delayed effects after vaccination can happen. But when they do, these effects tend to happen within six weeks of receiving a vaccine. This is why regulators in Canada and many other countries require at least eight weeks of safety data before approving a vaccine. The vaccines have now been in use for months, with over 2.7 billion doses given worldwide.
     
  • This is not new vaccine technology. The mRNA vaccines have been in development for many years and have been studied before for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). In addition, cancer research has used mRNA to trigger the immune system to target specific cancer cells. Years of studying mRNA vaccines has shown no long-term side effects.
     
  • Canada’s vaccine safety system has proven time and again that the data necessary to get through the approval process is sufficient to prove safety, even for the long term. The end data and safety tests for the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines met the same standards as other vaccines that have been approved in Canada. 
When considering long-term risks, a COVID-19 infection is a much more serious concern. 
 
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Can mRNA COVID-19 vaccines alter a person’s DNA?
 
  • Location – mRNA is active in the cytoplasm of a cell, whereas DNA is protected in the cell’s nucleus. The mRNA CANNOT enter the nucleus, so the two nucleic acids are never in the same place in the cell.
     
  • Process – mRNA is not DNA. So, if a person’s DNA were going to be altered, the RNA would have to be made into DNA. This would require a special enzyme that exists only in some viruses. Coronaviruses are not one of them, as they have only single-stranded RNA. This means that when they enter into a cell’s cytoplasm, they don’t need to be translated. Proteins (like the spike protein) can be made directly from the RNA.
     
  • Stability — mRNA is not very stable. Its half-life in human cells is estimated in hours. For purposes of mRNA-based therapies, modifications have been developed to keep the molecule in cells long enough to allow for the therapy to be successful. But even with this, the mRNA will not lead to protein production for more than 10-14 days.
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COVID-19 vaccine & reproductive health (youth)

Can COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility?
Millions of people have received an mRNA vaccine in Canada and around the world. Data has shown no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause fertility problems. 
 
In this video, Dr. Paul Offit from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia explains why infertility is not a concern following COVID-19 or receipt of the COVID-19 vaccine.

 

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Informed consent and COVID-19 vaccination (youth)

Can youth provide their own consent for the COVID-19 vaccine?
In general, parental consent for health care in BC is sought for children 12 years of age and younger. However, there is no legal age of consent for health care in BC. Children and youth under 19 years of age can legally consent to or refuse vaccinations on their own behalf if they demonstrate capability. This is called "mature minor consent".
 
"Mature minor consent" is the consent a child or youth gives to receive health care after the child has been assessed by a healthcare provider as having the necessary understanding to give consent. For more information about mature minor consent for vaccines, refer to the HealthLinkBC File: The Infants Act, Mature Minor Consent and Immunization.
 
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