When can children under the age of 12 get the COVID-19 vaccine?

The third round of COVID-19 vaccines has been approved for a wide variety of people, leading many to wonder when will children under the age of 12 be approved as well. While many people still need to be vaccinated, many parents worry about their children and the risk of contracting and spreading the disease in schools, summer camps, family reunions, and more.

According to Reuters, children under the age of 12 will be approved for vaccines around mid-fall. “I think there is a reasonable chance that Pfizer or Moderna will get FDA approval for younger children before the upcoming holiday season,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci TODAY. “Hopefully by mid, late autumn and early winter.”

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Photo by Spencer Davis via Unsplash

According to the director of the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital’s Vaccine Research Center, Dr. Bob Frenck, children can receive strong immunity to the virus at much lower doses than adults, which means the vaccine supply can continue to spread. Frenck is currently working on the clinical trials being conducted on children at the Cincinnati Hospital. “We took a step back after doing the teens and we looked at the dosage because we thought we could possibly use a lower dose and get the same immune response,” he told CNN.

Side effects in children are similar to adults, with most of them being mild and including a sore arm, fatigue, headache, and fever in around 10% of children.

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The FDA recently approved the Pfizer vaccine for people ages 16 and older, reaffirming its safety and importance. As hospitals and doctors compile data for children’s vaccines, the emergency approval of the syringe is imminent, protecting more people and making it easier for us to return to normal.