With the Delta variant of the coronavirus sending more kids to hospitals than we have seen so far in this pandemic, some desperate parents are lying about their child's age to try and get them vaccinated.
From Arkansas to Michigan, some pharmacists report adults lying about their kids' age to get them the COVID 19 vaccine, which currently is only available for people ages 12 and up.
Dr. Sandra Kemmerly with Ochsner Health says that's not a good idea.
"We are concerned that some people may choose to try to get their younger-than-12-year-old child a vaccine that's off-label," .Dr. Kemmerly said. "We're cautioning against that because the studies of the proper dosing to be given in these younger age groups are being done now."
Dr. Kemmerly says the trials will determine what a safe and effective dose is, but until they know that and the FDA agrees to grant an Emergency Use Authorization for other age groups, parents will just have to be patient.
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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services told WXYZ-TV they are aware of underage vaccines happening occasionally, saying it would be considered a 'medical error.' The TV station found more than a dozen complaints about underage vaccines happening at pharmacies.
"In some cases, like another report from May, the insurance company flagged the pharmacy, but the parent still insisted their child was 12," WXYZ reported. "Later, the parent claimed they had just found the child’s birth certificate and realized they were wrong, and the child was actually 11."