Health experts in Denver told CBS4 that parents across the country could possibly get their children vaccinated as early as next week, pending authorization. Dr. Lalit Bajaj with Children’s Hospital of Colorado said the hospital has been at the forefront of helping to get this vaccine approved for young children by having one of the largest groups of kids participating in the vaccine trials this summer.
As COVID-19 case numbers continue to climb in Colorado, doctors are hopeful that once the FDA gives emergency authorization to administer the vaccine to kids ages 5 to 11, the shot will help with the state’s transmission rates.
Bajaj said more than 250 kids in the state ages 5 to 11 participated in the Pfizer clinical trials and that data was part of the research submitted to the FDA on Tuesday. Bajaj said the data shows the vaccine is overwhelmingly safe for younger ones, but some children may experience minor symptoms after receiving it.
“They certainly need to be prepared that their child may not feel well the next day, and this is especially true after the second dose,” said Bajaj. “Trust the science, ask your doctors questions, and really pursue what we actually know versus what sometimes comes out that’s really more about fear than it is about science.”
The Biden administration has said that pediatric offices and pharmacies will really take priority in administering the vaccine to kids. Many pediatric offices are not only seeing a staff shortage, but administrators are also having to train healthcare workers on how to administer the vaccine to kids because the process and dosage amount for kids are different.
Dr. Jenny Burns Pulido, a pediatrician at Every Child Pediatrics, said while this administering this vaccine puts a bigger workload on pediatric offices, many are hopeful.
“It’s going to be a different dose for the children 5 to 11, so the preparation will be different,” said Burns Pulido. “In terms of defrosting it, for a certain amount of time, it has to be diluted and then drawn up and then given within a certain amount of time, so it definitely, it’s very specific instructions on giving the vaccine.”
Doctors are asking parents to be patient as the rollout of the vaccine for young kids get closer.
