Will kids under 12 be vaccinated ahead of school year? Pfizer official weighs in

Dormitzer tells News 12 that kids younger than 12 will most likely not get vaccinated before the next school year. He's thinking October is more realistic.

News 12 Staff

Jun 3, 2021, 2:10 AM

Updated 1,281 days ago

Share:

News 12 spoke exclusively to Dr. Phil Dormitzer, Pfizer's chief scientific officer of viral vaccines, and asked him many of the questions that viewers have been asking at home.
Dormitzer tells News 12 that kids younger than 12 will most likely not get vaccinated before the next school year. He's thinking October is more realistic.
He tells News 12 they are conducting trials on younger age groups right now, but the timeline depends on their findings and how soon the vaccine is authorized by the FDA.
He says they currently don't have efficacy data for younger kids and infants. but pointed out the vaccine appeared to be 100% effective in 12- to 17-year-old trial participants.
While children have gotten sick and died from COVID-19, severe cases have been much more common in adults.
"We think it may be their innate immune system. So you know how when a small child gets a mosquito bite, you have this big reaction? Children have very strong immune reactions. And it may be that those reactions actually help protect them from COVID-19. We don't know for sure, but. But it's a reasonable thought," says Dormitzer.
News 12 also asked Dormitzer if, as a scientist, he thinks elementary school students should be vaccinated against COVID-19.
"You know, as a scientist, I'm going to say we're going to wait to see the data. I mean, I think there is disease in younger kids. So if the vaccine proves to be sufficiently safe, well-tolerated and effective, it's definitely something that for public health authorities to consider," he says.