Parents Await
Authorization of
COVID-19 Vaccine
for 5- to 11-year-old Kids
T BY RUDY MALCOM
CALENDAR: FRANCK-BOSTON; NEEDLE: IRYNA KHARKOVA/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS; CHILD: PORTISHEAD/E+
WO DAYS after Kate Hurwitz’s oldest son turned 12, he was vaccinated against COVID-19. And
as soon as the vaccine has been approved for children younger than 12, she says she will be rushing
to get her 10-year-old and 6-year-old children vaccinated as well.

“It is important that kids can be kids, and vaccines are the fastest
way for them to go back to normal,” says Hurwitz, a Montgomery
County resident.

That day could be coming soon, as early as by the end
of October.

On Sept. 20, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their
vaccine was safe and effective for children ages 5 to 11. On
Sept. 28, the companies submitted their data to the Food
and Drug Administration for initial review, indicating that
they will soon likely seek emergency use authorization for
the pediatric dose of their vaccine. However, the Wall Street
Journal reported that Pfizer might not finish its application
until mid-October, meaning that the FDA might not make its
decision until sometime in November.

Hurwitz holds a master’s degree in public health and has
a background in school health policy. Although she is no longer
professionally active in the public health community, she is resolute
in her support for it. “I believe in science,” she says.

Over the course of the pandemic, Hurwitz saw the toll that the emotional trauma of extended isolation was
having on her children. Now that there is a tool—a vaccine—to expedite the end to this isolation, she is fully
supportive of ongoing vaccination efforts for young children.

KIDS ARE KEY TO
CONTROLLING THE PANDEMIC
Approximately 28 million children ages 5 to 11 in the
United States would be eligible for the COVID-19
vaccine, a group far greater in size than the 17 million
ages 12 to 15 who became eligible in May. While
most kids face a much lower risk of severe illness,
inoculating them is an important tool in controlling
the pandemic. Children made up more than a quarter
of new cases for the week ending Sept. 23, the
American Academy of Pediatrics reported.

Yet inoculations have lagged among older children;
only about 43% of U.S. children ages 12 to 15 have
been fully vaccinated, compared with 66% of adults,
according to federal data.

So far, the Pfizer vaccine is the only one available
to Americans younger than 18. In June, Moderna filed
for authorization of its vaccine for adolescents ages
12 to 17. In July, Johnson & Johnson announced plans
to begin studying its single-dose vaccine for that age
group this fall.

Parents are slowly becoming more comfortable
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