U.S. Surgeon General Reassures Parents Worried About Vaccine for Young Children

Dr. Vivek Murthy said Pfizer's vaccine for children under 5 "goes through the same independent, rigorous and transparent review process" as vaccines for adults.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy has been keen to reassure parents that Pfizer-BioNTech's pediatric coronavirus vaccine will be fully tested after the company submitted it to the Food and Drug Administration this week for approval for use in emergency situations.

According to a joint statement from Pfizer and BioNTech, the FDA has requested that data from two dose trials be submitted to initiate a "sequential delivery" process in hopes of speeding up the launch. The unconventional approach raises questions from some parents about whether they should rush to pick up their little one as soon as they're ready. According to the Washington Post, only 22 percent of children ages 5 to 11 are vaccinated.

The wave of omicron options in the United States has left millions of families struggling with unreliable childcare, irregular school, and daycare closures, quarantines, and fear of infecting their children. Regulators may approve Pfizer-BioNTech's authorization request earlier this month.

Officials say both doses appeared to be safe even if they did not elicit an adequate immune response in the age group, and if children receive their first injection this month, they will be ready for a third dose by the time the researchers do. According to many familiar with the controversy, it arose from a three-dose trial.