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The Delta variant is booming across the country, now accounting for over 93% of all COVID-19 cases.
Interest in vaccines for young children has increased as parents and teachers prepare to return to school this fall. There is anxiety, however, as children under the age of 12 cannot receive any of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Could vaccines soon be available for children under 12? Here is what we know.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said this week that there is a high likelihood that a COVID vaccine for children under 12 will be approved within the next school year.
“I think the odds are high,” Murthy said in an interview on theSkimm’s “Skimm This” podcast.
There is currently no COVID-19 vaccine on the market for children under 12.
Pfizer is the only company to have cleared the vaccine for use in children aged 12 to 15, and it announced in June that it was starting to test the vaccine’s effectiveness in children under 12, according to Reuters.
Until a vaccine is approved for this age group, different guidelines are in place to protect the most vulnerable against COVID-19.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended last month that all students ages 2 and older wear a mask in class, whether or not they have been vaccinated.
The best way to protect children under 12 is for everyone in the household to be fully immunized, as long as they are eligible for the vaccines.
Stories related to vaccines:
Which vaccine is best for protection against the Delta variant?
Delta Variant Update: Pfizer Says Booster Strongly Protects Against Strain
Will we need a 3rd COVID shot? What we know now
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