As COVID-19 vaccine eligibility expands, what caregivers should know

Kids ages 12 to 15 are now eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines, the FDA announced Monday.

The agency had already approved its use for kids 16 and older, and other pharmaceutical companies have their own pediatric trials underway.

As vaccination rates among older adults slow down, having more young people immunized could help the country inch closer to herd immunity and slow the spread of COVID-19.

Tuesday, two physicians joined host Kerri Miller to discuss the pediatric trials and answer questions from parents and other caregivers about getting kids vaccinated.

Guests:

• Dr. Tina Tan is a professor of pediatrics at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and is an infectious diseases attending physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.

• Dr. Stanley Perlman is a professor of microbiology and immunology and a Pediatric Infectious Diseases physician at the University of Iowa and is on the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which advises the FDA on the approval of COVID-19 vaccines. He is also a member of the COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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