El Paso infectious disease expert chimes in as vaccine companies test shots in children

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Clinical trial results released Wednesday showed Pfizer/BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine is effective in adolescents ages 12 to 15.

Dr. Ogechika Alozia, a member of the state of Texas' Covid-19 Emergency Preparedness Task Force, told ABC-7 that he's pleased the vaccine is effective in preventing the illness in young teens.

Currently, trials are being conducted to see how effective the vaccine is in young children.

Alozie said vaccinating this portion of the population is not as important as getting more vulnerable populations inoculated.

"My take, presently, is that we don't need children vaccinated to get to herd immunity. The adult population will achieve that," Dr. Alozie said. "We know that children don't get as sick. Children's effects for Covid is not the same as adults."

He adds that there are exceptions.

"There are going to be some adolescents who are sick. They may be immuno-compromised. They may have pulmonary issues. Absolutely, it makes sense to get them in line for that vaccination," Alozie said. "But, on average a healthy kid or a healthy adolescent doesn't bear the brunt of this disease."

When asked about possible concerns over a fourth surge in cases nationwide, Dr. Alozie said we are in a much better position to combat it.

"This is a race to vaccinate. We know how to fix this problem. We have the tools and the weaponry to fight this virus now. This is not last year. Even if there is a fourth surge. We now have the tools to defeat it," he said.

You can watch the full interview with Alozie in the video player at the top of this article.