ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The death of an Orange County infant from COVID-19 is raising questions and concerns among parents.
Health experts are warning parents to wait until their child becomes eligible.
What You Need To Know
- Covid death of Orange County infant concerning parents and medical officials
- County officials reported 56 people died of COVID-19 since Thursday, one of the deaths was a child less than a year old
- PREVIOUS STORY: Infant among latest COVID-19 deaths in Orange County
- Coronavirus LIVE UPDATES: What you need to know in Central Florida
As of now, children need to be at least 12 years old in order to get vaccinated. Clinical trials are currently underway for children five to 11-years-old but nothing is green lit.
Dr. Peter Marks at the FDA said children under the age of 12 are “not little adults.” That means they may react differently to a vaccine.
The feds came out with this urgent warning because they’ve had reports that some parents are trying to work around the system to get their child 11 or under vaccinated.
The FDA says dosing and other details must be closely examined before approval. Since schools have reopened the amount of pediatric cases has skyrocketed across the nation.
In Florida, children 11 and younger currently make up almost 300,000 cases, with about one of out of five children testing positive.
Health experts expect Pfizer to file for an emergency use authorization of the vaccine for that age group as early as next month.
Nikki Brooke, a mother and a teacher says she can’t wait for her eight-year-old to get the shot when it becomes available.
“A lot of kids usually come out of it really well but there’s always those real small chances and I’d rather be safe – so as soon as that vaccine is ready she’s going to get it.”
Experts say the best thing a parent can do for any child not yet eligible for the vaccine is to ensure everyone around the kid who is old enough be vaccinated.