De Blasio urges speedy FDA approval of Pfizer vaccine on kids 5-11, no vaccine mandate for students yet

No matter a model new trial analysis discovering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine works on children between the ages of 5 and 11, it doesn’t seem like Mayor Bill de Blasio will downside a vaccine mandate for public school faculty college students anytime rapidly. 

On Monday, the pharmaceutical agency talked about early findings of a long-awaited analysis confirmed the vaccine was protected for teenagers as youthful as 5 years earlier and that unfavorable results to the inoculation have been very similar to these seen in 16 to 25-year-olds. 

All through de Blasio’s Sept. 20 press conference, a New York Events reporter requested if the constructive info for Pfizer-BioNTech meant the Metropolis would downside a vaccine mandate for public school kids. Presently, all municipal employees along with roughly 75,000 public school lecturers ought to get a minimum of one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 27. 

And although Metropolis officers identical to the mayor and Faculties Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter have been encouraging vaccine-eligible faculty college students to get the shot, there’s not particular COVID vaccination requirement for public school faculty college students. 

All through a morning press conference, de Blasio reiterated his stance on the vaccine mandate for teenagers. 

“The target is to get our kids at college for the foreseeable future and the simplest means to do that is to welcome kids whereas at all times working to boost the levels of vaccination,” de Blasio suggested reporters all through a Monday press conference.

Over the summer time season, the mayor and colleges chancellor have repeatedly held press events at youth vaccination web sites all through the 5 boroughs and confused the importance of the vaccine. With a objective to extra improve vaccination prices amongst kids, the Metropolis prepare pop-up vaccination web sites at 700 school locations all through the 5 boroughs by means of the primary week of college, enough for every school serving a 12 to 17-year-old. 

For the time being, the FDA has solely granted an emergency use authorization for the utilization of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on kids 12 and up and full approval for youngsters 16 and older. Consistent with Metropolis officers, 70% of all 12 to 17-year-olds in New York Metropolis, or about 361, 829 kids, have gotten a minimum of one dose of the vaccine. 

Earlier by means of the press conference, de Blasio cheered the constructive info from Pfizer-BioNTech and urged the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration to “velocity up” its approval course of for the vaccine´s use on youthful kids. 

“We wish these vaccines by the tip of October, let’s give a gorgeous Halloween current, a take care of, for all kids,” he talked about.