Should Kids Get the COVID-19 Vaccine? Michigan Doctors Weigh In

As the Food and Drug Administration considers extending emergency use authorization for the Pfizer vaccine to be given to children age 12 to 15, doctors in Michigan are weighing in.

If you're a parent, we welcome your thoughts on the topic as well.

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How soon could the vaccine be available for adolescents?

The New York Times reports that the FDA is set to grand emergency use authorization to Pfizer to open up vaccination eligibility for adolescents age 12 to 15 early next week. This would make millions more Americans eligible for the shots.

What do doctors say?

The Detroit Free Press spoke with two Michigan doctors who are overwhelmingly in favor of kids getting COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Liam Sullivan, an adult infectious disease physician with Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids says the results of Pfizer's controlled clinical trials are "impressive to say the least."

It's "very, very encouraging data and I think it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that the FDA will authorize it," Sullivan said. "It's absolutely essential that we get as many children vaccinated as possible to reach herd immunity."

Dr. Rosemary Olivero, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids tells the paper she sees many benefits in extending vaccination eligibility to adolescents.

"It's very, very important for children to be vaccinated because that's a very large population of the United States' population in general," Olivero said. "Knowing that we can avoid death, disability, and hospitalization with such a safe, effective vaccine, I think we absolutely need to think about this more critically for our healthy population of adolescents and teenagers in the U.S."

ABC News reports that both Pfizer and Moderna have also begun testing COVID-19 vaccines on kids under 12 years of age, but as of now no timeline for approval has been set.