US children as young as 12 could be just days away from receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
On Monday the FDA expanded the use of the two-shot vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 years old. After a federal vaccine advisory committee issues its recommendations, the shots could begin as soon as Thursday.
Dr. David Hilden at Hennepin Healthcare says the science behind the vaccine should provide a relatively easy decision in choosing to get the vaccine, but understands it's not always that simple.
"I know it's never that simple when it's your child, particularly the younger your kids go," Dr. Hilden told WCCO Radio's Adam Carter on Tuesday morning. "It's an easy decision in the medical community because it was studied in the same dose and testing schedule for children as it was in adults. It's not a new vaccine and they didn't modify it in any way."
More than 2,000 volunteers in the U.S. ages 12 to 15 took part in the testing.
"Of them, nobody got COVID who had the vaccine," he added. "Many who did not get the vaccine, got COVID."
Misinformation remains one of the biggest challenges for the COVID-19 vaccines, including Pfizer's vaccine. Dr. Hilden said it's important that people, particularly parents in this case, seek information from a trusted community source, like a medical professional or a community leader.
"It's understandable that people are hesitant and I don't want to get on people for that, none of us do," Dr. Hilden said. "That's the problem with such rapid flow of information. You can get a lot of information quickly, but a lot of it is rotten."
Testing continues for the Moderna vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson for use in children.
"I recognize people have trust in a variety of different places," Dr. Hilden added. "If you're a person of color, you have every reason to be hesitant about the medical system due to hundreds of years of being treated unfairly. Maybe they want to reach out to people in their faith community. Whoever is a trusted source in their community, that's who I would reach out to."