While the coronavirus vaccine rollout has been slow, we still don’t have a solid timeline for when kids can get the shots. However, that may be about to change.
Let’s connect the dots.
Clinical trials slow for kids
Pharma companies around the world ramped up clinical trials to get coronavirus vaccines done in record time. But those initial clinical trials only focused on adults.
Trials on children didn’t start until a few months ago, and even then, the youngest kids were still excluded. Plus, drug maker Moderna said it was having trouble recruiting enough young subjects for its trial.
Fauci: Late spring, early summer
Despite all those struggles, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says he is hopeful that children will start being vaccinated by late spring or early summer.
That’s partly due to the fact they already know the vaccines are safe and effective in adults so they can do smaller, quicker trials with kids.
Kids needed for herd immunity
While kids don’t seem to get as severe cases as adults, they are still getting sick and some have died. They can also pass on the virus to others. That is why experts say getting them vaccinated will be key to reaching herd immunity in the U.S. In fact there are reports at least one country, Israel, has vaccinated a handful of children without waiting for the clinical trials to be done.