Vaccination Nation: COVID-19, Kids, And Your Questions

By Chris Remington

Published November 4, 2021 at 8:40 AM EDT

A six year old child receives the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine for 5-11 year old kids at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut.

Millions of parents waiting to vaccinate their kids received welcome news this week. The FDA authorized and the CDC recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5-11 years old.

In a CDC panel review Tuesday, Dr. Oliver Brooks explained the justification for approval. He’s the chief medical officer at Watts Healthcare Corporation in Los Angeles and a member of the CDC advisory panel on vaccines for children.

“The bottom line here is that the data show here today that the vaccine is safe and effective, children are dying and we can reduce hospitalizations, cases, and deaths with a safe and effective vaccine that will benefit the community,” said Dr. Brooks.

But many parents still have concerns about the side effects posed by the vaccine and are hesitant to book their shots. We explore the science and safety of the COVID vaccine for kids in our latest installment of Vaccination Nation.