Why the Rush to Authorize the COVID-19 Vaccine for Young Children?

A nurse administers a pediatric dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to a girl at a L.A. Care Health Plan vaccination clinic at Los Angeles Mission College in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 19, 2022. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

If there’s one thing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have taught us since COVID-19 began, it’s that we should proceed with caution when it comes to their proclamations on public health. This is a sad reality that we must acknowledge if we wish to keep our nation’s youngest and most innocent citizens safe, especially since the FDA’s advisory panel just voted unanimously to recommend the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for babies and toddlers.