California plans for kids to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine 'as soon as Thursday'
California anticipates that kids ages 12 to 15 could begin getting vaccinated with Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine "as soon as Thursday," the state's top health official said.
Dr. Mark Ghaly said Tuesday that the state expects that timeline after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Western States Scientific Safety Review group panel of experts sign off on the vaccine as expected.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday declared that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on testing of more than 2,000 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15. The agency noted there were no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared with 16 among kids given dummy shots. Researchers found the kids developed higher levels of virus-fighting antibodies than earlier studies measured in young adults.
The younger teens received the same vaccine dosage as adults and had the same side effects, mostly sore arms and flu-like fever, chills or aches that signal a revved-up immune system, especially after the second dose.
Ghaly said on a call with reporters Tuesday that parental consent will be required for minors for the COVID-19 vaccine in most cases just like with other vaccines.
The state plans to allow ways for parents to give consent through the state's My Turn system. Appointments should become available on the portal Thursday morning, state epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said. Some doctors may be able to secure consent for their patients' parents via FaceTime, she said.
The state is not planning to require the vaccine for schools at this time because it is still under emergency use authorization, Ghaly said.
— The Associated Press contributed to this story.