A Vaccine For Kids Is Next COVID-19 Priority

There has been much discussion around the FDA and CDC’s latest emergency authorization approval of another COVID-19 vaccine. It’s the Johnson & Johnson single-dose shot that is being distributed here in Michigan and all over the country, and it marks an important development in the overall goal of reaching herd immunity. But now that three vaccines are on the market for adults, it might be time to start thinking about the future of vaccine efforts as it relates to our children. As many kids return to classrooms here in Michigan, what will the future look like as far as classroom COVID-19 protocols? And how could vaccinating young people in the months ahead help to protect teachers this fall?

Listen: Michigander and CDC committee member Veronica McNally on why we need to prioritize getting children vaccinated against COVID-19.

Guest:

Veronica McNally is assistant dean for experiential education at Michigan State University College of Law. She also serves on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee that recently voted to approve the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for human use and is the only member of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices from Michigan. She is also the founder of the Franny Strong Foundation and the State of Michigan’s I Vaccinate campaign to give parents facts about vaccines. “COVID does impact kids…it might be rare to have as serious an outcome, but it can happen and parents should know that,” says McNally on the push to develop a vaccine specifically for children. The effort to vaccinate children is a personal one for McNally, whose daughter died in 2012 at just 12 weeks old due to pertussis, commonly known as whopping cough. 

Here are some questions from listeners.

I have the antibodies. Do I still need a vaccine?

Yes, you should still get the vaccine, according to McNally. Experts don’t know how long and what level of protection the antibodies provide in protecting people from catching the original strain or one of the new variants of COVID-19.

I’m concerned about how getting kids back to school puts me at risk since I haven’t been able to access a vaccine yet and I am high risk. 

McNally says it’s a matter of time before more people are able to access the vaccine. As counties are still rolling out locations, people can check the State of Michigan’s website to find a location near them to receive the vaccine. 

I am in my early 20s. Many of my peers are suspicious of the vaccine and don’t trust the medical and pharmaceutical system overall. Look at the opioid epidemic. How do I know I can trust this vaccine?

A lot of people want to know more information about the safety of the vaccines. McNally says there is real-time data proving that these vaccines are safe, and that is because the vaccine has already been given to more than 70 million Americans. McNally is part of the state of Michigan’s effort to get reliable information out to the public on its I Vaccinate website.