BUFFALO (WBEN) - During Wednesday's COVID press briefing, Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein unveiled some of the initial plans to promote vaccinating the 5-11 age group.
On Tuesday, an FDA advisory committee recommended a lower dose of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, an age group comprised of roughly 28 million children in the United States.
"We're thinking that the most productive and efficient way to reach a large number of children in a short period of time is to host vaccine clinics at the schools," said Burstein. "We are working with the schools to see what schools are willing to host us for large vaccine clinics for 5-11 year olds."
While the FDA hasn't made an official decision on the vaccine yet, it would be surprising if the agency didn't vote in the affirmative, considering the panel vote was nearly unanimous. A CDC advisory group is expected to make its own recommendation next week, and if Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signs off, vaccinations for kids within the age group could begin immediately.
Of course, any expansion of the vaccine, especially into younger and younger age groups will be met with skepticism. Burstein had a message for parents of children in the 5-11 age group, saying the evidence shows the vaccine is safe and effective.
"We have some good safety data both extrapolated from adults and also from these pediatric trials, and it shows that the vaccine is very safe," said Burstein. "I know that there's a lot of noise out there and people have opinions, but I really encourage parents to talk to their pediatricians. Parents should talk to their pediatricians about the COVID-19 vaccine just like they talk to their pediatricians about any other vaccine that they get.
"I know people are worried, 'I don't know what's going to happen 10 or 20 years from now...'" she continued. "We know that the vaccine is very effective; we know it prevents infection, prevents serious illness, and it prevents death, and there have been deaths of of COVID-19 among children in the United States and outside the United States."
Poloncarz also encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated when eligible, and he even thanked those who have already made the decision to do so.
"I want to thank the parents out there who actually got their children vaccinated, who did the right thing," said Poloncarz. "Yeah, there are some parents who haven't, and they represent a minority...There's a very loud minority out there, and they've been a loud minority for quite some time - I've seen some of the same advocates advocating against vaccines, against masks...The best way to handle it is to get the kids vaccinated and protect them."
