Children are in the spotlight in the coronavirus battle
Children are now in the spotlight in the coronavirus battle. Pfizer wants to extend its COVID-19 vaccine to those as young as 12 years old and has asked the FDA for authorization to do that.
The request comes as children are believed to be central to the latest increase in COVID-19 cases, Michael George reports for "CBS This Morning: Saturday."
"There is concern about transmission in youth sports, both club sports as well as sports affiliated in schools," said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
In Michigan, which is leading the number of cases per day this week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has called for a two-week pause on children's sports, along with indoor dining.
"Lives depend on it," she said Friday. "Michigan is unquestionably a national hotspot right now."
But in New York, Coney Island ceremoniously reopened.
"You can't feel New York City, you can't understand New York City unless you come to Coney Island," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday.
As schools aim to reopen, the CDC has emphasized that its safety guidelines need to be followed.
"We have not yet seen evidence of significant transmission of COVID-19 within schools when schools have fully implemented CDC's mitigation guidance," the CDC's Walensky said.
More than 68 million people, or about 20% of adults in the U.S., are now fully vaccinated, and more than one in three Americans — just over 114 million people — have received at least one COVID shot.
There are reports of miniscule percentages of adverse reactions. Each of the three major vaccine producers have reported a remarkably low .1% of recipients had side affects.
