COVID-19 Vaccine offers weak protection for young children ─Researchers

*Experts opined the effectiveness of Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine against the virus dropped from 68 percent to 12 percent for children in that age group, noting some test kits may contain a toxic chemical

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

A recent study conducted by the New York State Department of Health found that the COVID-19 Vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech provided very little protection for children between the ages of five and 11.

In particular, researchers said it provided little help against the Omicron variant.

The researchers said the effectiveness of Pfizer’s vaccine against the virus dropped from 68 percent to 12 percent for children in that age group.

The children were monitored from December 13, 2021, through January 24, 2022, when the Omicron variant was spreading quickly across the state.

The researchers conclude that there could be many reasons for the drop in effectiveness. Most likely, they say it is because of the much smaller dose of the vaccine that very young children receive.

Some test kits may contain toxic chemical

The researchers stated thar poison control centres around the country are warning consumers that some COVID-19 test kits might contain a toxic chemical.

The Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Drug and Poison Information Center reports that there has been a sharp increase in calls about exposure to sodium azide, a substance reportedly found in some at-home test kids. Authorities say about 50 million US households are believed to have received one of the kits.

According to White House officials, the U.S. government has sent about 200 million of the kits to U.S. homes, though it’s not clear how many of the kits contained the chemical.

The nose knows

One of the reported symptoms of COVID-19 is loss of smell. Scientists say their research suggests that it’s one of the first symptoms to appear and is an indicator that the patient is infected with the virus.

The Swedish research team says that finding is important because an early warning might prompt the patient to isolate earlier and therefore check the spread of the virus. A cough and cold-like symptoms were also identified as early predictors of COVID-19.

The researchers also discovered that, on average, test subjects who tested positive for the virus showed a decline in their ability to detect odors about six days prior to the test result date.

According to them, this confirmed that a decline in odour perception as an early indicator of COVID-19.

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