SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - San Diego is getting its first round of Pfizer vaccines to fight the coronavirus next week, but the vaccine is recommended for those 16 years and older.
Many parents are concerned about what that means for their children and going back to school.
"Essentially the Pfizer vaccine wasn't studied in kids under 12 but we are going to see more study in them," Dr. Abi Olulade, with Sharp Family Medicine said.
While Pfizer is working on a child-safe vaccine, their competitor Moderna started testing their vaccine on 12-17-year-olds Thursday.
Dr. Olulade sees the newly approved Pfizer vaccine as a lifeline, "we have a weapon now in the war against this virus and we're all breathing a huge sigh of relief."
The vaccine a relief for our healthcare system swamped with coronavirus patients.
When a shot is approved and safe for kids, Dr. Olulade said it's important parents have their kids vaccinated.
"Vaccines have a very long and proven safety record in kids," Dr. Olulade said.
When asked what is the risk of waiting to get your child vaccinated, she replied, "death and long term effects of COVID, overwhelming our healthcare system and preventing us from providing care for other conditions that don't just stop because of COVID and so I think everyone should really really think about making sure that they get vaccinated to protect all of us."
She said it's important also to get children vaccinated because they are proven super-spreaders of the virus and susceptible to harm from it.
"We just saw in Los Angeles the first child that died from Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome which is a really scary thing that is new with this virus," Dr. Olulade said.
Dr. Olulade said we will have to wait and see if schools require the vaccine moving forward.
If your child has allergies, she said make sure you talk with your doctor before vaccinating your child.
"To say that this is a breakthrough and a victory for science is probably an understatement," Dr. Olulade said about the vaccine.
A weapon, she said, is only helpful if we all use it, "when you get vaccinated, you're not just protecting yourself, you're protecting other people and children who may be going through really terrible things like cancer, so it's our responsibility that we all have to protect those who are more vulnerable."
