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Vaccine approved for some adolescents
Haley Hinds reports
TAMPA, Fla. - Could we see kids being vaccinated before the start of the new school year? It's possible.
Pfizer and BioNTech announced Wednesday that their COVID-19 shot is safe for adolescents between ages 12 and 15. Some Bay Area doctors see it as a big step toward herd immunity.
The drugmakers said that a phase three trial in the 12-15 age group proved the vaccine safe and 100% effective in preventing the virus. Out of more than 2,200 adolescents, Pfizer said that none of those vaccinated developed the virus or serious side effects.
They did note "robust antibody responses" exceeding those in the 16 to 25 trial group and that it was well-tolerated. For now, Pfizer's shot is only authorized for emergency use in those 16 and up.
With any vaccine, doctors say parents must weigh the potential risks versus the benefits.
LINK: COVID-19 vaccine distribution information in Tampa Bay area counties
"If you have a child who has a medical condition that makes him or her more vulnerable to COVID-19 then that's something that I think you should strongly consider," said Dr. Allison Messina, chair of the Division of Infectious Disease at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital. "If that child has respiratory problems or heart problems or any of those high-risk conditions, that's something that I think will definitely need to come into play.
Even for healthy kids who want to go back to school or do activities with higher exposure risks, Dr. Messina said parents might want to consider the shot.
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"Just because children, in general, are not at high-risk of COVID doesn't mean that individual children can't get very sick and we've seen that in the hospital," Dr. Messina said. "This is a good way to not only protect the child but to protect all those important people in the child's life."
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that at least 268 children in the U.S. have died from COVID-related complications. For those who've recovered, University of South Florida virologist Dr. Michael Teng says the shot still has benefits.
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"What we've seen is that sometimes natural infection doesn't give you great immunity and you can get reinfected," Dr. Teng said. "But these vaccines seem to induce kind of an increased level of immunity."
Starting Monday in Florida, those 16 and up can get the Pfizer vaccine. It's another step toward ending the pandemic.
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"Our children make up about 20% of our population here in Florida," said Teng, "and there's no real way to get to herd immunity without vaccinating the pediatric population."
Pfizer is conducting an additional trial involving children six months to 11 years old.
They plan to submit data from the adolescent vaccine trial to the FDA in the coming weeks in hopes of getting approval to start vaccinating the 12-15 age group before the start of next school year.