When will children 12 and under be eligible for the vaccine?

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Coronavirus cases are rising in the classroom, and parents are getting antsy to get their children under 12-years-old vaccinated.

The trials for vaccines in children were originally set to end in September, but now it is looking like the trials will wrap up in November.

Associate Professor of Medicine in the Infectious Disease Division at UAB, Dr. Jodie Dionne-Odom says there is a lot of pressure on the FDA to make this happen. She says she has a seven-year-old herself, so she is in the same boat as all the anxious parents.

Dr. Dionne says the trials have been extended due to safety concerns. She says those running the trials want more time to observe children after the vaccine and make the studies larger.

“They decided that they were going to enroll more children so they would have the ability to detect more rare side effects. So because of both of those things, what I am hearing it may extend a few months after September. So now we are looking at many November. It really is just a guess, but everyone is anxious to have this approval,” says Dr. Dionne.

She says me the preliminary data is looking very good, but you can never know until the final data is presented.

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