SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Many San Diego parents of children under five have been patiently waiting for their kids to be eligible to get vaccinated for COVID.
For some, so have their kids.
"My daughter when she saw my son when he finally turned 5 get to go get his shot, she was literally jealous. She was like, 'Mommy, I want my vaccine,'" said Sheri Plaisted, a mother of a three-year-old child.
That want from Plaisted's daughter could happen soon.
Pfizer is asking theFDA for emergency use authorization for kids under 5 to get their shots.
Something that would ease the mind of parents like Jennifer Bandel.
"My mom had passed away and we haven't had her funeral yet. And we are finally; the family agreed we're doing it in June. So, we've been dreading the trip unless he gets vaccinated,” Bandel, a mother of a three-and-half-year-old son, said.
The FDA still must approve the authorization and then another review by the CDC need to happen for a recommendation before this group can get their COVID shots.
Pending that decision, Dr. Rita Feghali of Kaiser Permanante San Diego said parents who have reservations getting their young child vaccinated that they consult their pediatrician.
"Once the FDA comes out with a decision, then that research will come out publicly to all of the medical field. And their pediatrician can help them make the educated decision for their own family and their own child,” Feghali said.
Other local physicians said getting this group eligible is a big step towards getting to a new normal.
"Once we close this gap then, we've got the entire population available for vaccination. Then we can start looking at the frequency of vaccination if we need it as a once a year now if it becomes an endemic,” said Dr. William Tseng, with Kaiser Permanente San Diego.
As we wait for a decision from the feds, there's hope shots for the smaller children come sooner rather than later.
"A big step towards that for us and a lot of our friends for us and a lot of our friends too have been anxiously awaiting this age group to get vaccinated,” Bandel said.
Tseng hopes that a decision from the CDC and FDA could happen in two or three weeks.