Andrew Bellows
Staff writer
For months, many Americans have been awaiting the federal government’s recommendations when it comes to vaccinating their children for Covid-19. On Oct. 29, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Pfizer Vaccine for children ages five to eleven. With the pandemic raging for about 18 months in the United States, a panel of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has voted on the FDA’s decision on Nov. 2. They concurred with the FDA, making children officially able to take the Pfizer Vaccine.
According to the Associated Press, the Biden Administration is already preparing the rollout of vaccines for children. Vaccinations for children can take place immediately after the CDC’s decision. The Coronavirus Coordinator for the Biden Administration, Jeff Zients, said, “we are not waiting on the operation and logistics.”
In line with Biden’s goal to vaccinate Americans as quickly as possible, Zients aims for the administration to ship millions of vaccines around the country for use. According to the New York Times, about 15 million doses are already being packed with dry ice, loaded into small specialized containers and shipped via airplanes and trucks to vaccination sites across the country. Newly eligible children will receive the vaccine in a smaller dose, one-third of the size that children 12 and up were given.
Although the vaccine may be recommended by the CDC and FDA, many American parents are still hesitant to inoculate their children. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, “about three in 10 parents say they will definitely not get their [young children] vaccinated.” Even parents that have gotten the vaccine themselves are hesitant to allow their children to take the vaccine. Some cite potential long-term issues that are yet to be seen and others point out the side effects of the Pfizer vaccine which may include tiredness, headache, fever, chills, runny nose, and a sore throat.
Many around the country are optimistic that this could be another major milestone in returning to normalcy after the pandemic.
