By Kevin McLaughlin
Last week, the CDC signed off on expanded use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, now allowing people ages 12-15 to get it. More than 17 million total vaccines have already been administered in New York State, and increasing the amount of people eligible to be vaccinated will continue to stop the spread of COVID.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “Children under the age of 18 now account for more than 20 percent of new cases in this country, and vaccine authorization for a younger population will allow the state to continue its tremendous progress towards winning the war against COVID.”
Parents across the country have questioned whether or not enough testing was done on adolescents. According to NBC, Pfizer completed their trials on children ages 12-15 back in March, and the FDA has been reviewing the data they received for safety and effectiveness. The data shows similar side effects to those in people ages 16 and up, and a very high rate in preventing the spread of COVID, as well as limiting symptoms if you get the virus.
A recent study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that nearly a quarter of parents in the U.S. with a child between the ages 12 to 15 said they will not allow their child to get vaccinated, while another quarter said they will wait to see how the vaccine is working. Another 30% said they will allow their child to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
How does this affect the IHS community? This is another step in the right direction to gaining herd immunity and getting back to “normal” life. The more students that get vaccinated, the safer our IHS community will be. If you wish to get vaccinated, visit covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov to make an appointment.
