COVID vaccine mandate coming for California students. When will kids under 12 be eligible?

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that students will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend school, after coronavirus case numbers for children rose due to the delta variant over the past several months. Newsom’s mandate will kick in once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration grants full approval of shots for each age group.

But many parents of younger children are wondering: when will their kids be eligible to get vaccinated? Children under 12 cannot yet receive the vaccine as drug manufacturers are still conducting testing.

Fortunately, there is some good news in that department. On Tuesday, Pfizer announced it submitted research to the FDA from a trial for children ages 5 to 11 and said that it would request an Emergency Use Authorization “in the coming weeks.”

What does this mean?

On Sept. 20, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced positive results from the trial, which used a smaller dosage than the shots given to teens and adults. The companies found even with the lower dose, antibody levels in children tested were as strong as those generated in adults by the regular dosage.

When can kids get the shot?

There’s no firm date yet on this yet. The Associated Press reported the Pfizer shots may become available for kids in November. Once Pfizer submits its EUA, the FDA will review the data to evaluate benefits and potential risks. That process will likely take weeks, as opposed to months, according to FDA.

This story was originally published October 1, 2021 at 10:47 AM with the headline "COVID vaccine mandate coming for California students. When will kids under 12 be eligible?."