Young people who have recovered from multisystem inflammatory syndrome can safely receive COVID-19 vaccinations, according to a National Institutes of Health study published in JAMA Network Open Jan. 3.
MIS-C is a potentially fatal condition that can occur after a young person is infected with COVID-19. It is rare — the CDC reports occurrence is 1 in 3,000 to 4,000, but MIS-C can result in organ failure.
The study involved 385 patients 5 years of age and older who had prior MIS-C and were eligible for vaccination.
The COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children who have recovered from MIS-C, but a 90-day waiting period after initial diagnosis should be observed, said study co-leader Audrey Dionne, MD, a pediatric cardiologist at Boston Children's Hospital and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
The research study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, supports the CDC's recommendation on COVID-19 vaccinations for this population.
Matthew Elias, MD, co-leader of the study and a pediatric cardiologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said the research showed children who have recovered from MIS-C do not experience severe complications such as myocarditis or a recurrence of MIS-C after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Elias said study participants had mild reactions to the vaccines including fatigue and injection site soreness — the same side effects reported by about half of the vaccinated people in the US.
"We are very reassured by the results and this safety data should be comforting to families and healthcare professionals when considering and recommending vaccination," Dr. Elias said in a CHOP news release.