Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - As more groups of people become eligible to receive the vaccine in New York state, more people want to know when kids may become eligible.
Unlike other age groups where the ability to get the vaccine is a matter of supply or if a person is at risk, it is a lack of data that will prevent children from getting the vaccine quickly.
"The studies are being done," said Dr. Simone Wildes, an infectious disease specialist at South Shore Health. "We'll probably have more information later this summer and for some, next year before children start getting vaccinated."
"The Pfizer vaccine has been approved for those age 16 and up," said Dr. Tom Russo, Chief of Infectious Disease at the Jacobs School of Medicine in Buffalo. "The trials are now being built for children that are 12 to 18 by both Moderna and Pfizer. I anticipate we'll have some data on those trials in the coming months. We're still going to have a little bit of a knowledge gap with younger children less than 12."
If the trials for those as young as 12 are successful, they would likely be followed by another round of testing of children as young as 9 years old. The timeframe of that happening and the vaccines being approved could vary from this summer to early 2022. Dr. Anthony Fauci has estimated that 70 to 85 percent of the country would have to be vaccinated to reach the herd immunity threshold, which will require that at least some children be vaccinated.
Despite the vaccine not being available for kids at this point Dr. Wildes said getting kids in school should be a priority, especially considering the negative health impact of them being away for so long.
"I think you really need to look at the entire picture, you can not just look at one side," Dr. Wildes said. "I understand trying to keep the children at home, but you also have to think about the emotional and mental health needs of the children. We do know that we have very low amounts of cases of infection in schools, in general."
