JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For the families who have been patiently waiting for COVID vaccines to roll out for their little ones -- well, you might want to listen up.
Moderna is asking the FDA to authorize a vaccine for children under 6.
“I’ll be a lot less stressed, even though the numbers are fantastic, I still want that added protection," said Megan Figuerrez.
Figuerrez is a mother of two. She says the whole family is vaccinated but the youngest who is 4 years old, she says her little one will be getting the vaccine as soon as it rolls out.
“I’m really excited for all the summer activities and just the peace of mind of knowing that we have the little extra protection is really what I'm looking forward to," said Figuerrez.
Dr. Chirag Patel, Assistant Chief Medical Officer at UF Health Jacksonville says parents should be motivated to get the COVID vaccine for their children.
“Keep in mind that children can still contract COVID and can still spread it to others especially to those who are at higher risk. Children can also develop symptomatic and severe disease regardless of their age and regardless of their immune system's strength," said Patel.
Patel says from the initial Moderna data they didn’t see any cases of severe illness requiring hospitalization in the kids who received the vaccine.
He says getting the vaccine by itself might prevent your kids getting hospitalized with COVID.
“They’ll be the first manufacturer to do this and submit this data. It’ll be a two injection series at one fourth of the adult dose so its not the same amount that adults are getting," said Patel.
Patel says some of the risks that come with Moderna vaccine are pain at the ejection site and a fever.
By May 9, Moderna will be turning the rest of its date into the FDA.
The FDA is expected to make its final decision by June.