MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Wednesday, there were plenty of excited Mid-South parents, one day after a FDA panel almost unanimously recommended the Pfizer vaccine for 5 to 11-year-olds.
Final approval could happen by Thanksgiving.
Those children would get a dose less than half the amount adult gets and the panel concluded the vaccine's benefits far outweigh any potential risks.
Richard Thompson was thrilled by the news, as he's witnessed COVID-19 hit pretty close to home with extended family and friends contracting the virus.
He continues to take COVID seriously, especially with his 7-year-old daughter not yet eligible for the vaccine.
"It's still nerve wracking to think, you know, that your kid may be exposed," Thompson said.
The risks remain real for Thompson's children - including a 12-year-old - each time he gets an alert from Shelby County Schools.
"It's always nerve wracking when you get calls from schools, the school every other day, about them initiating their COVID protocol," Thompson added.
But Thompson's mind is more at ease now, following a Food and Drug Administration committee's recommendation late Tuesday to approve the Pfizer vaccine to five to 11-year-olds. The FDA could give the final go ahead in the coming weeks for that age group.
"As soon as my oldest daughter came of age, we got her vaccinated. Now that my youngest is of age, we are going to look do to the same thing the very first day," Thompson said.
"We are really anxious for this to finally come about," Joseph Kelly said, who is the father of a 5-year-old daughter. He's encouraged by the vaccine recommendation news, not only as a Dad but as an educator.
"Schools can become safer. In-person education is vital to these students success," Kelly added.
Dr. Stephen Threlkeld at Baptist Memorial Hospital admits parents in the age group will vaccinate their children at different levels.
Still, he pointed to a months-long trial proving the doses are overwhelmingly safe and work well for children.
"This is a way to get at the best part of the population that is not yet protected. It's very effective in that population and will have spin-off effects to protect the rest of that population as well," Dr. Threlkeld said.
There are about 92,000 five to 11-year-olds in Shelby County, and the Shelby County Health Department is finalizing plans of how to get the most doses in those arms once it gets the final federal green light.