El Paso doctor weighs in on Covid vaccine for kids as FDA discusses approval for Pfizer shot

EL PASO, Texas -- The Food and Drug Administrations advisory panel could authorize Pfizer's vaccine for 5 to 11 year olds on Tuesday. One El Paso doctor is asking parents to trust the vaccine.

"The data is very good on safety. We have, you know, hundreds of millions of doses already being given out very small rates of side effects," said Dr. Ed Michelson with Texas Tech Health Sciences Center of El Paso

Dr. Michelson feels the FDA has been extremely cautious when it comes to giving Pfizer emergency use authorization for this age group.

Just last week, Pfizer released its clinical trials. It found the vaccine for 5 to 11 year olds to be nearly 91% effective.

If approved, the vaccine for kids would be two doses, given three weeks a part. One third of a normal dose for adults.

"I think that the FDA has sought out and delayed the decision to make sure that enough kids have been studied in research trials to make sure that the vaccine continues to be safe and, so far, that's what we know."

According to the city's vaccination data, 77 percent of El Pasoans 12 and older are now now fully vaccinated.

Whether the FDA gives Pfizer emergency use authorization, "it's really takes parents believing in the vaccine to get themselves vaccinated and also to take their kids to get vaccinated," Michelson said.

If Pfizer gets the OK today, the CDC will then meet to decide whether to recommend the vaccine. If both agencies support the data, kids could be able to get their first shots by early November.