The FDA has approved the Pfizer vaccine for a “booster” dose for immunocompromised adults and people over the age of 16. As we talk about vaccines, boosters, “additional doses”, etc. I have heard a lot of discussions regarding vaccinating children under the age of 12. Of course, we all know that this would be “off-label” use of a medication, something we usually avoid, right?

That said, everyone “gets it”. We have our children and grandchildren going to school, camps, etc. unprotected. We have never done this in the history of our country! Children were most generally “fully vaccinated” to prevent things like chickenpox, measles, mumps, etc. Once a disease was identified, vaccinations were developed, so why not now?

Let’s think this through, we are looking at a pandemic with catastrophic numbers of illness and death, and yet we can’t use the one tool we have to protect our children. I get it, it is disturbing and frightening, however, children are not “miniature adults”, they are different. Don’t encourage unsafe behavior by pressuring your physician to calculate a dose of vaccine for your child. At the end of the day, physicians should stay the course and first “do no harm”. The risks are real and could be worse than the virus itself! Stay well, stay informed, and stay tuned.