SAN DIEGO — The FDA announced Monday that children ages 12 to 15 will be allowed to get the Pfizer vaccine. The FDA’s advisory committee is set to meet on Wednesday and if they agree, vaccines will immediately be distributed.
Pfizer says it used over 2,200 volunteers from age 12 to 15 to test the vaccine and found that it protected them just as it does with adults. One mother says, hearing this news means that her daughter will now be safe from COVID-19.
“I see people taking photos of themselves, they’re in hotels, they’re at parties and we’re not there yet. We can’t do that yet,” said Jennifer Ferguson.
Ferguson says she’s grateful that the FDA will soon allow her 15-year-old daughter Lola to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Lola has cystic fibrosis, a genetic respiratory disease that causes mucous to build up in the lungs. Protecting Lola’s health during the pandemic has been a challenge, to say the least.
“We were washing our vegetables. I was disinfecting things before they came in the house. We’re not going anywhere. We weren’t even getting take-out,” Ferguson said.
She says everyone in her household has been vaccinated except for Lola because of her age. Now that the FDA has moved to include people over the age of 12, Lola says she’ll take the vaccine and then start making plans.
“Have sleepovers, parties maybe. I guess it just depends on how it all turn out by summer, but hopefully with the vaccine rolling out especially for teens, it’ll be a lot better so I’ll be able to do a lot more stuff,” Lola said.
Dr. John Bradley is an infectious disease expert and a pediatrician at Rady Children’s Hospital. He’s also on the FDA’s Advisors and Consultants Staff. Bradley says vaccinating children will help stop the spread and protect others who are vulnerable.
Grandparents who will hug their kids of course, will be hugging asymptomatic kids who could potentially give them coronavirus and if the kids are immunized, you don’t have to worry about that,” Bradley said.
Rady Children's Hospital says appointments will be online starting Wednesday at 3:30pm. UCSD says you can have your child vaccinated as early as Thursday if you schedule the appointment.
Watch: San Diego Unified working to get more teens vaccinated