Pediatricians Prepare To Give Pfizer Vaccine To Kids Once Approved By FDA

Some pediatricians in Oklahoma say they'll be ready to give the Pfizer vaccine to kids, if the FDA approves emergency use authorization.

The company said its vaccine is effective in kids ages 5 to 11.

Right now, one in five new COVID-19 cases nationwide right now are in children. Some doctors in Oklahoma say that number could decrease soon with access to the vaccine.

This week, Pfizer announced data from its clinical trials which shows that a smaller amount of its vaccine given to kids between five and 11 years old, is effective in building antibodies to prevent serious illness.

The company said that data will now be presented to the FDA for emergency use authorization.

Dr. Donna Tyungu is a pediatrician for OU Health and said both parents and doctors will have to evaluate the risk-benefit ratio of giving the vaccine to younger kids.

She said surveys show a lot of parents may be hesitant to give the vaccine to their younger kids and that parents should talk with their pediatrician. A lot of the shots may be given in their offices.

"We will need people who do pediatric medicine especially, who can monitor children for side effects and things like we do for adults after vaccination," said Tyungu.

Tyungu said pediatricians are concerned about the virus spreading more this winter.

She also said right now RSV cases, which they saw a lot of this summer, are down.