Pediatrician recommends vaccinating children as case, hospitalizations rise across the country

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The CDC approved the COVID-19 booster for children ages 12 to 15.

The approval comes shortly after the Pfizer miRNA vaccine was approved for children ages five to 15.

Parents may be hesitant, but experts agree it does not impact puberty or future fertility.

Pediatrician Dr. Richard Lampe says although the approval for children is recent, the research shows over six thousand children were tested and the most common side effect was arm soreness.

“It’s not just been a year, they’ve been studying for over a decade; we didn’t know that they were going to wind up being used for COVID. They were used for other viruses, and they work and so they are safe,” Lampe said.

The American Academy Of Pediatrics reported a spike in children’s hospitalizations in just one week.

“The last week of December, there were 324 children a day admitted to hospitals in the United States. And that was 66% More than the week before. And you know, you’ve the graphs are just going up children,” Lampe said.

In Lubbock County nearly two thousand children ages 5 to 11 have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

At least five thousand teens ages 12 to 15 have received both doses.

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