The FDA is expected to grant emergency use authorization to Pfizer’s COVID vaccine for children 12 to 15 years old as early as next week.
In a clinical trial involving 5,000 children, the vaccine was found to be 100 percent effective, according to study results.
Holly Mockford, 12, is a competitive gymnast who trains at Emerald City Gymnastics in Redmond.
Mockford says she doesn’t even know what the girls on her team look like, as she hasn’t seen half of them without masks on.
“I’m excited to get vaccinated. It means I get to do practice and get to be with friends,” said Mockford. “Even though I’m still wearing a mask, I’m excited that I still am able to hang out with them without the worry of having the virus.”
“Half of the girls on my team, I don’t know what they look like. I only know what their eyes look like,” she said.
At Seattle Children’s, Dr. Janet Englund is eager for the vaccine to be available for children.
“Most children do well with COVID, but a small percentage do very poorly and they get this syndrome called MIS-C and this can require prolonged intensive care unit follow-up and mechanical ventilation, cardiac support, blood pressure support,” said Dr. Englund, who is with UW Medicine at Seattle Children’s.
She says preventing the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome is reason enough to get your child vaccinated.
Soon, Seattle Children’s will start a clinical trial for the Pfizer vaccine on children 6 months to 5 years old.
“We are actively looking for volunteers for that study,” said Dr. Englund.
At Emerald City Gymnastics in Redmond, owner Sandy Flores is eager for the vaccine to be available for children.
“We have seen in the gym, with our staff being vaccinated, a lot of parents being vaccinated, just less and less COVID cases,” said Flores.
That means more time for training and less fear for athletes like Holly Mockford.
“Hopefully by November, when the net meet season starts, more people will be vaccinated and we’ll be able to have more meets,” said Mockford. “It means I get to be able to see more people without the worry of the virus coming to get me.”