Update: As of May 10th, 2021, the FDA has approved Pfizer’s vaccine for children ages 12-15.The vaccine will now be available to more adolescents. In addition, as of May 10th, about 260million doses have been distributed, and 114 million people are fully vaccinated worldwide.
Since the first approval of emergency use authorization (EUA) for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in Dec 2020, a lot has progressed to help Americans get through this pandemic. Currently, there are three available vaccines for distribution across the United States including Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses spread 3-4 weeks apart, while the J&J vaccine requires only one dose. As of April 13, 192 million vaccinations have been given nationwide in the US., and over 6.5 million vaccinations have been given in PennsylvaniaPA.Gov. The state ranks 24th in the nation for most first doses according toStatesRanked. Currently, most of Pennsylvania is in Phase 2 of vaccine rollouts, which means that anyone over the age of 16 is eligible to receive the vaccine. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is still under Phase 1C, which includes essential workers that are at a lower risk of exposure.
As with other medicines, some people may develop side effects after vaccination, which may include pain, swelling, fatigue, muscle pain, nausea, headaches, and fever. These symptoms usually are mild, temporary, self-limited, and they are signs that your immune system is responding to the vaccine properly. Since these vaccines were developed in a timely fashion, long-term safety data is not available yet. The FDA and CDC are diligently monitoring the adverse effects reported by people who are vaccinated. If there are signs of concern, experts and doctors look into them carefully to assess their safety profiles. As of April 12, the CDC recommends halting the distribution of the Johnson and Johnson vaccines due to multiple cases of blood clots. According to ABC News, six cases were observed in women from 18 to 48 years old. No clear guidance has been released by now. All the vaccination sites are now only administering Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines.
Getting the COVID-19 vaccine has many benefits. In a Yale Medicine Study, the vaccines were 75-95% effective against contracting the virus, depending on the vaccine. Fully vaccinated people are allowed to travel both domestically and internationally without any COVID tests or quarantining. In addition, indoor visits with fully vaccinated people are likely low risk, such as eating dinner in a private setting. However, the CDC still advises that people continue to practice good safety protocols, such as wearing a well-fitted mask and paying attention to social distancing while in public.
On April 9, 2021, Pfizer and BioNtech requested the emergency use authorization of their COVID vaccine to allow it to be used in children ages 12-15. This will hopefully enable more teenagers to get protected from the virus. Dr. Fauci states that the vaccine for elementary school children will likely come in early 2022 based on the current studies for this age group. It will take time for younger children to get immunized.
With effective vaccination, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. The sooner that everyone can get vaccinated and develop herd immunity, the sooner society will return to pre-pandemic fashion.
Hi! This is Alan, the writer of the article. As of today (May 10, 2021), the COVID-19 Vaccine has been approved for children ages 12-15. This is super exciting news for the vaccine as now it is accessible to more adolescents. Once again, I strongly encourage anyone that is able to get the vaccine to get it, as we can return to normal more quickly!
Update #2: GA is holding a vaccine clinic for any students of theirs over the age of 12 on both May 15th and May 19th.