(Photo courtesy of Suzanne Phan, KOMO News)
Seattle Children’s took part in the clinical trials for the Pfizer vaccine for kids under 5 years old and now, says Doctor Ruth McDonald, Children’s Chief Medical Operations Officer, they’ve reached another milestone in a long journey. McDonald says this also puts into perspective how long the pandemic has gone on, “but also how relatively short it has been,” McDonald says, “to get vaccine out now to those 6 months of age and above.”
Doctor Danielle Zerr, Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Seattle Children’s Hospital, says even though thousands of parents signed up for a hundred available slots in the Pfizer trial, which shows many parents have great interest in the vaccines, she knows that some parents will be hesitant, and will have a lot of questions. Zerr says, “We want to let them know that they should be seeking out their trusted advisors, so their doctors, their pediatricians, and then also good other sources of information…The Centers for Disease Control website has lots of really helpful information about the vaccines.”
The doctors say the testing process was properly carried out, and these vaccines are safe and effective for these little ones who’ve waited the longest.
