The New Normal: Should young children get a COVID-19 vaccine? This is what one expert says.

News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was joined by Dr. Daniel Griffin to talk about COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5.

News 12 Staff

Jun 15, 2022, 2:09 PM

Updated 901 days ago

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News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was joined by Dr. Daniel Griffin to talk about COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5.
The FDA's advisory committee votes today on whether or not to approve the COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 6 months old. FDA advisors unanimously voted Tuesday in favor of expanding the vaccination options for kids between 6 and 17 years old to include the Moderna vaccine. They'll now vote on two vaccination options for young children – Moderna for kids under 6 years and younger and Pfizer for kids under the age of 5.
What data are health officials looking at?
Is myocarditis and pericarditis affecting this age group?
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine contains a smaller amount of antigen, 3 micrograms, rather than the 25 micrograms that make up a dose of Moderna vaccine for the youngest children.
Is there a level of natural immunity that you hold on to for any period of time?
More than two years into the coronavirus pandemic, some familiar viruses, like RSV, are acting in unfamiliar ways.
Researchers have a rare opportunity to figure out whether behavioral changes like stay-at-home orders, masking and social distancing are responsible for the viral shifts, and what evolutionary advantage SARS CoV-2 may be exercising over its microscopic rivals.
In hospitals across the country, physicians are adjusting protocols that for decades reflected a predictable cycle of illnesses that would come and go when schools closed or the weather changed.
The World Health Organization will hold an emergency meeting next week to discuss the "unusual" spread of monkeypox and if this virus is an international public health emergency. While smallpox vaccines are expected to provide some protection against monkeypox, clinical data is limited. How concerned should we be about monkeypox?