By Johanna Marx
April 4, 2021
There are now three weapons against the coronavirus: the Pfizer vaccine, the Moderna vaccine, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. These vaccines are for individuals 16 and older or 18 and older (depending on the vaccine). But what about people younger than that? Dr. Robert Frenck, director of the Gamble Vaccine Research Center, said: “For kids 12 and above, I think we’ll have a vaccine licensed before the 2021-2022 school year.” Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says that kids under 12 years of age will very likely be able to get vaccinated at the “earliest the end of the year, and very likely the first quarter of 2022”.
Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Testing
In a press release on Wednesday, March 31, 2021, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their COVID-19 vaccine is 100% effective in children ages 12-15! None of the adolescents that got the real vaccine developed the virus, and they had a similar range of side effects as adults and older teens. The company is planning to submit their data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “in the coming weeks” so the vaccine can be authorized for people 12 years and older.
Why Does it Take Longer to Get a Vaccine for Kids?
Kids’ immune systems differ from adults’ immune systems. Children aren’t simply little adults; Since they are still growing and developing, their immune systems can respond differently at different ages. This means that research that was done on adults needs to be repeated in children to make sure it works for them. Moderna and Pfizer are doing those studies now. These clinical trials will determine the effectiveness and safety of their vaccines in kids.
Dr. Esper, MD, is a pediatric infectious disease specialist. He explains, “Both adults and children will need to be vaccinated for things to return to some sort of normalcy.” It’s really important for kids, who make up a quarter of the U.S. population, to get vaccinated if we are going to get to the point when enough of the population is immunized against COVID-19 to stop its spread (also known as herd immunity).
What do you think? Will you get a vaccine when it’s safely approved for kids? Tell us in the comments below!
Sources:
https://www.thecut.com/2021/03/when-can-kids-get-the-covid-vaccine.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/03/31/children-covid-vaccine/
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-100-effective-children-ages/story?id=76779737
cool