DETROIT – U.S. regulators on Monday expanded the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12, offering a way to protect the nation’s adolescents before they head back to school in the fall and paving the way for them to return to more normal activities.
For one local teen getting the vaccine is a no brainer. Katrina, the local 14-year-old waiting to get vaccinated has faced trauma from the coronavirus pandemic described as nearly unbearable.
”I didn’t even realize how hard it was to not be talking to people,” said the teen while getting emotional.
Like many teens she has found the situation surrounding schools during the pandemic stressful.
Her mother, Naomi, is a nurse with Beaumont Health who has also struggled to cope with the pandemic.
”I don’t want to worry about being sent home again, so I’ll be getting the vaccine as soon as I can,” said the teen.
A statement released by the FDA on Monday stated that the action allows for a younger population to be protected from COVID-19.
“The FDA’s expansion of the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to include adolescents 12 through 15 years of age is a significant step in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D.
“Parents and guardians can rest assured that the agency undertook a rigorous and thorough review of all available data, as we have with all of our COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorizations.”
Read: Pfizer COVID-19 shot expanded to US children as young as 12
Read more: US expands use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, paving way for children as young as 12 to get shots
RELATED: