Starting last week, children 5 to 12 are now able to get their Covid-19 vaccination shot. Both the FDA and the CDC have approved the vaccine for children. Children are now eligible to get their shot at a local pharmacy and at school-based clinics.

In recent months, more children are getting infected and they are getting more severe cases. There is a risk for children if they don’t get the shot. There are over 30,000 children in the hospital ill with Covid-19, and over 125 children under age 12 have died in the past week.

Many doctors are concerned that parents won’t take their children to get their vaccine, but with over 59 million children having tested positive for Covid-19, doctors are stating that they must focus on children getting the vaccine. It can save them and the 330 million people in United States.

There are still a lot of parents worried about their kids getting the vaccine, saying that it’s not safe and that it can be a dangerous process. Parents are attending protests stating children shouldn’t get the vaccine while other parents are protesting that children should get it.

Parents should know that the Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective. Children also can’t get Covid-19 from the vaccine. After children get the first dose of the vaccine, they will need the second shot three weeks later, which will be the Pfizer-BioNTech. Moderna’s vaccine for children is in the final approval stages at the FDA and CDC. Children might also get the typical side-effects of tiredness, headaches, swelling, or muscle pain at the injection site. Most people don’t get serious side effects.

The government purchased over 65 million doses for children, but only 20 million of it will be available during the first week for children. Vaccine locations will be nationwide, which will make it easier for parents to take their kids to get the vaccine.

The emergency use approval of Pfizer’s vaccine took 21 days from filing to authorization for adults and 31 days for 12-15 year olds.

For kids under 11, the dose was reduced 10 micrograms a shot, then reduced it to three.  “In the past eight weeks, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in Covid-19 cases in children and hospitalized kids. It started to get like this when school started,” said Dr. Jarabek.

Some students from Birmingham Community Charter High School have different opinions. Karyme Najera (10) said, “It’s a risk to take, but if it’s to help us go back to our normal lives, it’s worth it.”

Eli Cervantes (10) said, “It feels like they are going so fast, but if they know this will protect the children, then it’s fine.” A lot of students at Birmingham said related stuff like this. Most people have mixed feeling about children getting the vaccine but they said it can help the children by keeping them safe from this sickness.