New information from Pfizer on COVID-19 vaccines for children has some parents wondering when they can get their children vaccinated.
Pfizer-BioNTech announced Monday that trial data shows a lower dose of their vaccine was safe and effective for children 5-11.
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COVID-19 cases have continued to increase “exponentially” among kids in the U.S. and now account for nearly 26% of all cases reported nationwide, with nearly 226,000 new cases over the past week.
Dr. Zeke Emanuel, former Obama White House Health Policy Adviser said, “It’s a serious issue among children and the best way to protect them is with this vaccine.”
But before shots can go into arms, there are four steps that have to happen first.
Step 1: Pfizer needs to request emergency use authorization from the FDA.
Step 2: The FDA needs to amend the vaccine’s EUA to include younger people.
Step 3: The CDC must recommend the vaccine for this age group.
Step 4: Once the CDC and FDA sign off, a rollout could begin.
Health experts predict shots could be available by the end of October. Then, it will be up to parents, but those experts worry that’s where things could stall.
“It’s going to be hard to get these children vaccinated, just as hard as adults to get them vaccinated, unless we have mandates,” Emanuel said.