WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — An FDA advisory panel recommended Pfizer's covid-19 vaccine for kids ages 5 through 11. With just a few more hurdles before it's approved, the attention will soon turn to the final hurdle -- parents.
"I very much want my youngest child vaccinated," Linda Durden said.
Durden, a Houston County mom, says she's choosing to get her daughter the shot.
"My fourth son is 17 and he's already vaccinated, and I’m looking forward to my 8-year-old being vaccinated because she’s exposed to other children, she’s exposed to immunocompromised people including members of our family and others in our community," Durden explained.
She says she wants to make sure they’re doing all they can to stop the spread.
Durden isn’t the only parent anxiously awaiting the approval. Dr. Yasir Alqaqaa at Pediatric associates of Warner Robins says they’ve received calls from parents that are eager and parents who have questions
"Some of the questions we are asked is, 'Is the vaccine effective?" and, 'What about myocarditis?' We’ve seen some cases of myocarditis in younger age groups. However, those cases have been mild," Alqaqaa explained.
He says their office also has conversations with parents who are against the vaccine
“Some of them refused the vaccine for themselves and don’t want their children to get it. We have some children who agreed to get the vaccine and their parents have told them it’s their own choice, you can get the vaccine if you want to," he said.
For Durden, she is trusting the numbers.
“The data is clear that vaccinated individuals, even if they are infected with the virus, they tend to do well, they tend to survive at a much higher rate, and that’s important to me," Durden said.
If the CDC approves next week, the agency’s director will have to sign off before becoming widely available.
More than 25,000 pediatricians and primary care providers have signed up to offer the COVID-19 vaccination for kids 5-11. Moderna is also preparing to seek approval for children as young as 6.