Local parents wondering when younger children can get vaccinated

ATLANTA — Since the FDA has granted full approval for the Pfizer vaccine to those 16 and older, many parents are counting down to when their children can get the vaccine.

As kids return to school, local parents are concerned about them catching COVID-19 since they are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

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“It’s like every day my anxiety goes up, every single day,” said Fulton County parent Tanesha Clayborn.

Clayborn told Channel 2′s Ashli Lincoln that her and her husband Rodney pray over their children every morning before sending them off to school.

“The first thing I can of is, ‘Ok, what’s going to happen? What’s about to happen to her?,” she said.

This week, the couple was notified that they 11-year-old daughter was exposed to the virus at her Fulton County school.

After Monday’s announcement that the FDA was giving their full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for those over 16, many families like the Clayborns are clamoring for a timeline for full approval for those under 12.

“This Pfizer vaccine is still available for children ages 12 to 15. These young adolescents it’s still available under emergency use authorization,” said Dr. Jayne Morgan, Executive Director of the COVID Task Force.

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Dr. Morgan has heard of parents getting permission from their pediatricians to administer the vaccine to younger children, but she does not recommend it.

“If you are younger than 12, we certainly can’t prevent you from going to your pediatrician’s office and asking for vaccine. But it is not approved for that indication, those trials have not been completed. And we don’t have any data on that,” she said.

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Doctors are currently anticipating the full FDA approval for the Pfizer vaccine for ages 12 to 15 in the coming weeks.

Researchers say that kids may require a smaller dose because their immune systems respond stronger with the drug.

Doctors also say that side effects children are experiencing are similar to those seen in adults, like fever, headache and a sore arm.

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