With the kids back in school and cases of pediatric COVID going up, it’s easy to understand why some parents might want to get their children vaccinated, even when they’re not eligible for the shots.
That’s why the FDA is warning parents that children under the age of 12 should not get the COVID vaccine until it is approved for them.
Dr. John Swartzberg, an expert on infectious diseases at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, reminds parents that children are not small adults.
“We don't know the proper dose for five- to 11-year-olds,” he said. “We have to figure that out. It may be the same as an adult, or it may be less. Maybe there will be a problem if we give too large of a dose. Maybe there's a problem if we give too small of a dose. We have to wait and see.”
Dr. Swartzberg says he thinks it will probably be late November or early December before we know if the FDA and CDC will approve the vaccine for kids five to 11years old. In the meantime, he urges parents to be patient and protect their kids by getting vaccinated, making them wear a masks.
“I know it's hard,” he told me. “I've got an 11-year-old granddaughter and I can't wait for her to vaccinated."