COVID In Colorado: Your Childhood Vaccine Questions About Health Impacts, Side Effects Answered

DENVER (CBS4) - With many questions swirling around vaccinations for kids as young as five years old, CBS4 hosted medical experts to discuss some of the most pressing issues parents have. As authorization has come for a younger population, many parents are concerned about dose size, health impacts and side effects.

"The side effects are about the same as we've seen in the adult population. Mild soreness in the arm, a low-grade fever, maybe a headache, maybe some muscle aches, but they only last 12 to 24 hours and they are very mild," said Dr. Reginald Washington, the Chief Medical Officer at Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children.

But health officials are urging parents to not let the side effects deter them. Even the worst side effects with the vaccine are not as bad as the worst effects of COVID-19.

"We have a lot of data to suggest that there are long term consequences to covid, both getting COVID-19 infection and having a bad case, or from all the mental health consequences of kids missing out on life which we know are really severe," said Dr. Rusha Lev, a pediatrician.

WATCH: Your Questions Answered About Childhood COVID-19 Vaccines

Some parents have expressed concern about the dose size for both young kids around the age of five as well as older kids like 11-year-olds who are close to getting a full adult dose at the age of 12.

"I would encourage anyone with an 11-year-old to vaccinate their kids now with the current dose available because the sooner we can get them vaccinated. The sooner they are protected and the sooner they are back to their activities they need to do and the safer they are for the holidays," said Dr. Lev.

One parent in Douglas County wrote CBS, saying they are weighing the threat of COVID-19 against the threat of a heart condition called Myocarditis that has shown up in some adolescent and young men.

"There were no incidents of myocarditis in the trials with young children, and there's no expectation that we will find that. we haven't seen that thus far," Dr. Lev said. "The potential to get COVID in the future or the potential to get covid and spread it to somebody who could get very sick is worse than the very small potential for myocarditis from the shot.