Children should avoid strenuous activities for 7 days after vaccination
The Disease Control Department on Wednesday urged parents to make sure their children do not exercise during the first seven days after they receive an mRNA vaccine against the Covid-19 virus.
Disease Control director-general Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said that after children 5-11 years of age receive Pfizer’s paediatric formulation dose of Covid-19 vaccine, their parents must prohibit them from exercising or doing any activity that uses a lot of strength for seven days.
The prohibition is aimed at preventing kids from developing myocarditis, which is a possible side-effect from an mRNA vaccine.
Opas said if the vaccinated children have chest pain, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, tiredness, rapid or irregular heartbeat, fainting, high fever of over 39 degrees Celsius, and or severe headache, or vomit or become unconscious, they should be taken to a doctor immediately.
Parents may also call the Emergency Medical Hotline 1669 immediately if their children develop myocarditis symptoms, Opas added.
He said the Public Health Ministry has also prepared emergency medical services in the areas where young children are being administered Pfizer paediatric dose vaccine.
Opas said if children have fever or have fatigue, they should be cured before they are given the vaccine.
He said children should be monitored for half an hour at the vaccination site before they are allowed to return home. He added the normal side-effects, such as fever, headache and painful and swollen arm could go away within a week after they are given painkillers.
The director-general said the orange cap vaccine will be first given to two target groups. The first group are children with one or more of seven types of co-morbidities and the second group are first-to-sixth graders.
