RSV Vaccine Side Effects: What Older Adults Should Know Before the Shot

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Parents, Listen Up! Local Kids Could Be Helping Get Rid Of RSV And Another Major Health Concern

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Young children in our area could be the key to a new vaccine for the potentially dangerous illness RSV.

CLEVELAND — Young children in our area could be the key to a new vaccine for a potentially dangerous illness…RSV. Back in November, we told you about a study that hoped to find a longer-lasting solution to the RSV, and now we're following through.

Before we get into the story, let's talk about what RSV is. It's a respiratory illness that can cause health problems like Bronchiolitis and Pneumonia, which are dangerous conditions, especially for young children.

"So many kids get sick with RSV, and it's really severe and for parents that's really scary," said mother Celina McWilliams. She's right. The CDC has reported that 58,000 to 80,000 children under the age of five will be hospitalized with RSV this year alone. In fact, Dr. Shelly Senders from Senders Pediatrics said, "It's one of the most common causes of viral illnesses in kids that ends up landing them in the hospital."

Today, we were there as McWilliams brought in her daughter Briggs to be a part of the research. "The fact that we were able to participate in a study like this that cannot only help our child but help everyone else's child," said McWilliams. "Because parents deserve that. Kids deserve that."

As it stands now, there's a shot given to expecting mothers and/or an antibody that helps newborns battle RSV, but Senders told us the idea of a longer-lasting solution is something to pay attention to. "And if it works, and all the data supports that it will work, then that's an exciting potential," he said.

Not only that, this kind of vaccine could help with a huge problem millions of people suffer from…asthma. Senders said RSV is the main cause of asthma, and an effective RSV vaccine could mean farewell to the condition. "The end result will be, I think, 5 years from now, we will wipe out most cases of asthma," said Senders. "And to me, that's very, very exciting."

And it's exciting for McWilliams. "I have asthma and it's something that impacts my life," she told us. "And it's something that I, again, worry that my children will also have."

The CDC reportsin 2021, asthma was the cause of death in more than 3,500 people in the U.S. "Being a parent is hard and if there's one less thing we can take away…a parent's worry we should do it," said McWilliams.

If you are interested in having your young child be a part of the research, contact Senders Pediatrics in South Euclid.

Watch anchor Katie Ussin's 2023 report on the shortage of RSV drugs.

More supplies of the new RSV drug for infants are being made available

Savvy Senior: Recommended Vaccines For Medicare Recipients

Dear Savvy Senior,

My husband and I recently turned 65 and would like to find out which vaccines are recommended and covered by Medicare?

New Beneficiaries

All recommended vaccines for adults, age 65 and older, should be covered by either Medicare Part B or Part D, but there are some coverage challenges you should be aware of. Here's a rundown of which vaccines are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and how Medicare covers them.

COVID-19: Even though COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency, it can still cause severe illness, particularly in older adults. Because the COVID virus continues to mutate, new vaccines are being developed to keep pace, so the CDC recommends that all seniors stay up to date with the latest COVID vaccines, including booster shots.

All COVID-19 shots are covered 100% by Medicare Part B.

Flu: Considered an annual vaccination, most people of all ages receive flu shots in the fall when flu season begins. The CDC recommends seniors, 65 and older, get a high-dose flu shot for extra protection beyond what a standard flu shot offers. The Fluzone High Dose Quadrivalent, FLUAD Quadrivalent and FluBlok Quadrivalent are your three options.

Annual flu shots are covered under Medicare Part B.

Pneumonia: These vaccines help protect against pneumococcal disease, which can cause pneumonia, meningitis and other infections. The CDC recommends everyone 65 and older get a pneumococcal vaccine. There are several different vaccine options available, so talk to your doctor or pharmacists to find out which is best for you or visit the CDC's Pneumococcal Vaccination webpage at CDC.Gov/vaccines/vpd/pneumo/public/index.Html.

Medicare Part B covers both single dose and two-dose pneumococcal shots once in your lifetime.

Shingles: Caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, shingles is a painful, blistering skin rash that affects more than 1 million Americans every year. All people over age 50 are recommended to get the two-dose Shingrix vaccine, which is given two to six months apart, even if you previously received Zostavax. In 2020, Shingrix replaced Zostavax, which is no longer available in the U.S.

All Medicare Part D prescription drug plans cover shingles vaccinations, but coverage amounts, and reimbursement rules vary depending on where the shot is given. Check your plan.

Tdap: Tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) are diseases caused by bacteria that can lead to serious illness and death. Therefore, a one-time dose of the Tdap vaccine is recommended to all adults. If you've already had a Tdap shot, you should get a tetanus-diphtheria (Td) booster shot every 10 years.

All Medicare Part D plans cover these vaccinations.

RSV: Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, can lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis and can worsen other chronic conditions common among older adults, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The CDC recommends all adults — age 60 and older — talk to their doctor about getting one of the RSV vaccines (either Arexvy or Abrysvo), usually in the fall and winter months when the virus is most prevalent.

Most Medicare Part D plans cover the RSV vaccine, but not all. If your plan doesn't cover it, you can ask for a coverage exception. You can also pay for the shot out of pocket and then follow up with your plan to get reimbursed. If you pay for the shot upfront, your plan must pay you back.

Other vaccinations

There are other vaccines you may need depending on your health, lifestyle or travel plans. To help you get a handle on which ones are appropriate for you, take the CDC's What Vaccines Do You Need? Quiz at www2.Cdc.Gov/nip/adultimmsched. Also, talk to your doctor during your next visit about what vaccinations you should get.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.Org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC "Today" show and author of "The Savvy Senior" book.

Hospitalizations For RSV Rose In 2021, 2022 For Preschoolers

kckate16 / iStock

Younger age, absence of vomiting, decreased breath sounds, and normal capillary refilling may indicate clinical stability and discharge readiness in children hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), suggests a study published in Pediatrics.

A team led by a Medical College of Wisconsin researcher collected time-to-clinical stability (TCS) data (temperature, heart rate [HR], respiratory rate [RR], and oxygenation) in 571 patients ages 3 months to 18 years hospitalized for CAP from July 2013 to December 2017.

CAP is one of the top five indications for hospitalization and antibiotic use in children, but while TCS data are well-defined for adults with CAP, only one study has assessed their use in children, the authors noted.

"Objective definitions of medical stability are necessary to optimize the care of children with CAP," they wrote. "Clear, objective definitions of medical stability guide when a patient is safe to be discharged from the hospital, when they can be switched from intravenous (IV) to oral antibiotics, length of the overall antibiotic course, and risk of adverse outcomes after discharge, including mortality or readmission."

Infants most likely to quickly reach stability

Of 571 children, 32.7% had at least one abnormal parameter at hospital release, 7% had two abnormal readings, and none had three or more. All four parameters were stable in 93% of infants at release, compared with 49% of patients aged 12 to 18 years.

TCS may decrease length of stay if implemented to guide discharge decisions.

RR was the least likely factor to reach stability at hospital release (65%), followed by HR (84%), temperature (95%), and oxygenation (97%).

The median TCS for each parameter was less than 24 hours, with younger age, absence of vomiting, diffusely decreased breath sounds, and normal capillary refilling tied to early hospital release. In total, 8.1% of patients revisited the emergency department; patients who didn't reach clinical stability weren't more likely to return.

"A TCS outcome consisting of physiologic variables may be useful for objectively assessing disease recovery and clinical readiness for discharge among children hospitalized with CAP," the researchers concluded. "TCS may decrease length of stay if implemented to guide discharge decisions."

RSV Treatment