DELMARVA - Pfizer and BioNTech have requested emergency authorization from the Food Drug Administration to approve its COVID-19 vaccine for children ages five to eleven.
Some people across Delmarva are excited about the possibility of vaccinating younger children, while others are not as thrilled.
Many parents have been patiently waiting for a COVID vaccine that is safe and effective for younger kids. Delaware mother, Rebecca Frankum, said she trust the science and is looking forward to the day the F.D.A. gives its approval.
"We will go as soon as we can and of course we will talk to her pediatrician about it and make sure that is something that she recommends and I am pretty certain that she will," Frankum said. "We trust the process and we trust the science. And as soon as she is ready and we know that it got approval from the FDA then we will make motions to go and get her vaccinated."
Many local educators were also happy to hear about the possibility of young children getting vaccinated in the near future. Head of school at Sussex Academy, Eric Anderson, told WBOC if all his students are eligible to receive a COVID vaccine, then Sussex Academy will run more smoothly. He emphasized "consistency" across the different age groups.
"Having consistency and having all students be eligible for vaccine will make operation, operations much more easy to plan for consistency for K through 12," Anderson said.
WBOC also spoke with parents who told us they will not be so quick to roll up their child's sleeve when the vaccine is made available.
"And giving it to a little five year old, who knows the trauma it will take his little body through," parent Chuck Jones said. "So, I am, I am really skeptical. To me its like an experimental drug and you got all these different types of vaccines out and you never know what the long term of effects of it."
If Pfizer gets authorization from the F.D.A, it would be the first COVID-19 vaccine available to younger children. The Pfizer vaccine is approved for those 16 and older and it has emergency use authorization for those ages 12 to 15.
On Oct. 26, a group of experts that advise the F.D.A are set to meet and debate Pfizer's findings and date. There is no exact time table for when the F.D.A. will authorize the vaccine.
