INDIANAPOLIS — Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for children ages five to 11. The company now plans to seek authorization for its use in that age group.
“This is the best Monday in a long time,” said Shandy Dearth, Director for the Center for Public Health Practice at the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health. “I’m really excited because I have an 11-year-old and he's right on the cusp.”
She said is excited for him to be able to get vaccinated and she's not alone.
“There is certainly an increasing number of parents who are very interested in getting their kids vaccinated, so the fact that we could be on the verge of this for the Pfizer vaccine is something I know a lot of parents are interested to take advantage of,” said Dr. Christopher Doehring, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Franciscan Health.
Doehring explained there are a number of reasons why having a COVID-19 vaccine for children is important.
“Especially with this Delta variant and kids back in school, we've seen a lot more kids getting severe illness and having to be hospitalized. That has certainly been happening here around central Indiana and around the country, but not unlike influenza, getting vaccinated is about a lot of different reasons: One is your own personal protection, second is protection of your child, but it's also about protecting others that you care about and protecting the broader community," he said.
“The vaccines will not be released unless it's safe. If you look at the FDA, there are humans behind that making the decisions. They're not robots, so they are mom and dads, grandpas and grandmas too, and they're not going to release anything that is harmful for their children."
