After the Food & Drug Administration authorized the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 12 to 15 on Monday, local health officials are urging parents to get their children vaccinated.
Dr. Saima Hussain, a pediatrician with Longstreet Clinic in Braselton, said the vaccine's approval for teenagers is "absolutely crucial."
"Right now, about one in five infections involve people younger than 18 years of age," Dr. Hussain said. "So we are seeing that we're getting younger and younger population infected."
The vaccine has been authorized for use in teens by the FDA, and Wednesday afternoon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held a vaccine advisory committee where they recommend the vaccine for use in children 12 to 15.
Local healthcare systems are ready to begin vaccinating this new group of people.
Dr. Zachary Taylor, director of the District 2 Department of Public Health, said the health department could start vaccinating teens as soon as Thursday.
"We'll accept appointments for children 12 to 15 years, in addition to the 16 and older that we've been doing," Dr. Taylor said. "They do need parental permission and we ask that they be accompanied by an adult."
Likewise, Dr. Hussain said Longstreet Clinic has already started a waitlist for patients in anticipation of the vaccine's expanded approval. She said now that the FDA and the CDC have given their approval, they will start to call and schedule appointments.
While children typically experience more mild cases of COVID-19, Dr. Hussain said there are still kids who can experience long-lasting effects of the virus.
"I'm taking care of a couple of patients that have prolonged symptoms from COVID, so it's not benign in children, it's not something we can ignore," Dr. Hussain said.
Aside from vaccinating children to keep them protected against the virus, the vaccine can also help stop the spread of the vaccine from children to others who may be more vulnerable.
"The big advantage for children and their parents, if they are vaccinated, then they don't have to quarantine if they are exposed, so it doesn't interrupt their academic work in school when school starts back," Dr. Taylor said.
Dr. Hussain said perhaps the most important thing is getting children vaccinated so they can return to their pre-pandemic lives.
"Socialization is so important to all of us, and especially for children, and they've been missing out on that," Dr. Hussain said. "I'm seeing the effects of that. Kids are anxious, they're depressed, they really miss being able to do all the things that they used to do."
Interested parents can register for a vaccine appointment for their child at Longstreet Clinic by calling 678-207-4402. The child does not need to be a current patient of Longstreet Clinic to receive the vaccine.
To register for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment with District 2 Public Health, click here. District 2 is also accepting walk-up patients at its vaccination sites.
