Children have been hurt enough by lockdowns. Think twice before mandating a vaccine for kids

Parents should have the option to vaccinate their children when a vaccine becomes available. This is especially true for parents of kids with pre-existing medical conditions, including obesity. 

As highlighted in a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a real-world analysis of COVID-19 hospitalizations among adolescents aged 12–18 years showed 72 percent of those hospitalized had at least one underlying pre-existing medical condition. Of the hospitalized, 97 percent were unvaccinated, highlighting the importance of vaccinating high-risk adolescents.

Late Friday evening, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the clinical trial data on Pfizer/ BioNTech’s low dose, two-part vaccine for children ages 5-11 years, which their independent advisory committee is scheduled to meet soon to review. The CDC's own independent advisory committee will convene the following week and, if approved, the vaccine for this age group may be available at pediatricians' offices by Thanksgiving, according to the White House plan unveiled earlier this week.