DETROIT – COVID-19 vaccinations for U.S. children ages 12 to 15 could begin as early as Thursday.
The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization Monday for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15.
With this, many parents are unsure how to move forward. Julia, an undecided Metro Detroit parent, said it’s important to talk about the vaccine for children, but is concerned those conversations may become uncivilized.
“There is a lot of information that I think is coming out that is confusing,” Julia said.
Julia, a mother to three, is reluctant to get the COVID vaccine for herself, but she’s even more reluctant to get it for her 14-year-old son.
She’s not alone. Many parents are struggling to get real information and are trying to weigh that with what they think is best for their family and children. While Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are testing the safety and efficacy of their vaccines in children, Pfize has already received approval for expanding its emergency use authorization to children.
The study looked at 2,200 children between the ages of 12-15, and only 16 caught coronavirus. Those 16 were all in the placebo group.
Dr. Oveta Fuller sits on the FDA advisory panel. She did NOT participate in the review for the expansion, but she has seen the data that indicates the Pfizer vaccine is 100% efficacious for children in this age group. While she said she doesn’t think anything could be 100% safe, based on the science, she acknowledges the vaccine’s efficacy in children.
And because of her expertise in immunology as an associate professor at University of Michigan, she also understand the people, behind the research.
You can watch Paula Tutman’s full story in the video above.
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