Doctor Is In by Dr. Adil Manzoor OP/ED
The topic of the article starts with a question, and I’ll quickly answer that from the gate: hell yes! Hell, freaking yes!
I’m obviously struggling to contain my excitement, but I’m a pediatrician – I treat kids, so that should explain that. On a more serious note now, though, this is one of the best news to come out of the last few months.
Up till a few weeks ago, the vaccines were only approved for people aged 16 or older. This makes sense, considering the short time frame the vaccines were developed in. What I mean is, the vaccines took less than a year to roll out. If you don’t know how fast that is, consider that an average vaccine takes north of ten years to gain approval from the CDC. Some even take decades. So, when the COVID vaccine only needed nine-ten months, it was groundbreaking and unprecedented.
While it was definitely needed, considering people were dying in their hundreds of thousands, it also meant care has to be taken in rolling them out, especially to younger people who weren’t at too much risk from the virus. Of course, children et the virus; of course, children can pass the virus, but children also show milder symptoms and generally have a much lower mortality rate.
Knowing this, the CDC was reluctant to approve the vaccine for younger ones until it got far beyond reasonable proof that the vaccine is effective with minimal side effects. Note that the vaccine widely available right now still only has emergency authorization. Again, at the time, this was most definitely the best the CDC could do, considering lots of Americans were dying.
And since children are at a significantly lower risk of getting the virus, it makes sense to hold out until all studies are concluded that the vaccine is perfect for children. Luckily for us – Pfizer came through. They are the first vaccine manufacturer to gain emergency use authorization for younger Americans after it demonstrated in a March clinical trial that its vaccine was 100% effective in preventing the coronavirus in study participants between 12 and 15 years.
Before long after the news had broken, Biden was quick to commend the efforts of the company and authorize administration across the country in 15,000 pharmacies. This is really good news. Really good news.
The reason for my overly joyous mood, in particular, is the period at which this news has come. Summer is approaching, and hundreds of thousands running about on humid beaches isn’t exactly the best way to manage or contain the coronavirus, most especially for unvaccinated people. Tons of children would get the virus, and this, of course, means more deaths, which no one wants.
There’s also the fact that schools can now fully reopen without subjecting the children to stress no child should have to endure and go through at their age. It will also ease the worries of many parents who are reluctant to allow their kids to return to school for fear of the virus.
I strongly believe that the trauma and psychological wounds that the virus has caused will persist for decades. However, the healing must start from somewhere, and the government should do all it can to allay the fear in the hearts of people. That is definitely the first step, and it is one that approval of vaccines for adolescents can achieve.
Stay safe. Wear a mask. Get vaccinated.
This article was written by Dr. Adil Manzoor DO, a Board Certified Internist & Board Eligible Pediatrician, who works as a Hospitalist, and Emergency Room Physician. He is also the current President of Garden State Street Medicine, a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide free preventive and acute urgent care services for the homeless. He is also the co-founder of his own unique medical practice Mobile Medicine NJ.
References
· https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/05/12/ 996185305/federal-panel-recommends-coronavirus-vaccines-for-adolescents-aged-12-15
· https://www.washington post.com/health/2021/05/12/pfizer-vaccine-adolescents-cdc-advisory-panel/?outputType=amp
· https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2021/05/12/pfizer-covid-vaccine-5-things-to-know-before-cdc-panel-votes-on-use-in-adolescents.html
