Should children ages 5 to 11 receive the COVID-19 vaccine? This is a difficult question without an easy answer, something you wouldn’t know from the strident opinions of politicians and health experts.
On one side are the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and Pfizer, which makes the only approved vaccine for children. They have all recommended vaccination for children ages 5 and older.
On the other side is the state of Florida. Florida’s Department of Health, at odds with most public health officials, does not recommend the shots for children. That agency said focus should be on youngsters with existing health conditions as “the best candidates for the COVID-19 vaccine” and that some healthy children “may not benefit from receiving the currently available COVID-19 vaccine.” Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said the decision should be made on an individual basis, rather than mandated. Ladapo did not specify what qualifies a child as “healthy” nor did he note the specific age group to which agency guidelines pertain.
