The surgeon general's young daughter got COVID. This is what he wants you to know
NPR Online NewsFeb 17, 2022
As had been expected, on Sat. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky signed off on approvals for Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID vaccines for younger children. The final approval now makes ~20M children eligible for COVID vaccination across the US, with a major distribution rollout underway.
On Fri, the FDA approved emergency authorization for Moderna's vaccine covering kids 6 months-17 years, and Pfizer/BioNTech's latest approval for kids 6 months-4 years.
It's been scary and frustrating for many parents who've been waiting for a COVID vaccine for their young kids. But the FDA needs to do due diligence on approvals. Hang in there.
Vaccinating children this young is ludicrous. COVID is much less severe in this age group, for which the risks associated with the vaccine far outweigh any potential benefits.
This is unethical. We should aim to reduce COVID deaths and hospitalizations globally, not just in wealthy countries. Until there are enough to go around, precious vaccines shouldn't be wasted on low-risk, healthy children, who may not even be important transmitters.
There's a 50% chance that at least 24.6% of children under 5 will be vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID vaccine by December 31, 2022, according to the Metaculus prediction community.