Covid, Ema: “Unvaccinated die, get vaccinated: never too late”

“It is very sad to see that hospitals and intensive care units are full of people who have become infected and who have not been vaccinated,” when they could have. “It is really distressing. We encourage everyone to rethink it: it is never too late, it is important that everyone gets vaccinated as soon as possible”. Marco Cavaleri, head of EMA vaccines, underlines this during a video briefing with the press in connection from Amsterdam, where the agency is based. The “vast majority of those who become seriously ill with Covid and die from it are people who have not been vaccinated,” even though they could have, he says. Cavaleri focuses on vaccines for children. The safety data “are reassuring: serious side effects in children are very rare. As in adults, the majority of side effects in children are mild or moderate and improve in a few days”. “For pericarditis and myocarditis – he adds – very rare cases have occurred in adults and adolescents after vaccinations with m-Rna vaccines. Data from large vaccination campaigns indicate that the frequency of these side effects in younger children is significantly lower than in adolescents and adults. ” “Although Covid-19 is generally mild in children of all ages – he points out – for some it can lead to serious illness, hospitalization or death. US data shows that the negative impact of Covid on children is greater than a ” full range of other vaccine-preventable diseases. In November, the EMA recommended approval of the first Covid vaccine for children aged 5-11. Evidence so far indicates that vaccines are as effective in children as they are in adults and that prevent most cases that would occur without vaccination. The data show that vaccines are highly effective in preventing hospitalization and other consequences of Covid-19, “he concludes.