APNEWSALERT: WASHINGTON (AP) — FDA advisers endorse Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.
— Michelle L. Price (@michellelprice) October 26, 2021
Now I need to tell my nine year old that he needs to make a very important decision — ice cream or pancakes after vaccination?
My daughter went double pancakes.
There is another meeting next week that will be required before kids start getting vaccinated. But right now, my son will be mostly vaccinated by Thanksgiving and fully vaccinated before he sees his grandparents in December.
Baud
?
JPL
why not both two shots
Nicole
I’ve never listened to an FDA vote live and I was getting really anxious while the doctors were expressing concerns. But all yes with one abstention was a relief to hear.
Suzanne
We called the pediatrician yesterday to find out if they are booking appointments in advance. They are not. I want Spawn to get one Day 1.
Nicole
@Suzanne: Our pediatrician office already emailed families to let us know they’ll start with appointments after the CDC meeting next week. But they’ve put in the order already. I hope yours has too!
different-church-lady
I was just glancing at LGM’s post about the Herman Cain Awards on Reddit, and it’s just heartbreaking. People dying because they think being a smartass on the internet will save them from a virus that in reality just doesn’t give a single shit how clever they are.
Arclite
Hey, did y’all talk about this RS story?
EXCLUSIVE: Jan. 6 Protest Organizers Say They Participated in ‘Dozens’ of Planning Meetings With Members of Congress and White House Staff
Martin
That meeting probably isn’t technically needed for ad-hoc cases. Once the regular course FDA approval was given for adults, doctors could start using the vaccines off label, so they can already give it to people under 12. If you have a relationship with your pediatrician, you might want to call them up and ask if they can get the shot now, especially if you are trying to get things done before specific holidays.
Nicole
@different-church-lady: The Atlantic, I think it was (maybe New York or the New Yorker) ran a piece on Covid orphans and it was just gutting to read. I lost a parent as a child (to cancer), and I can’t fathom what it would be like to grow up knowing your parent could have prevented dying, and willfully chose not to.
Wag
Awesome news!
Zeecube
Smart kid.
Baud
@different-church-lady:
I think that undersells how hateful many of these people are to people like us.
lowtechcyclist
I know what a joyous relief it was for my wife and me when we got our kid (13 at the time) vaccinated back in May and June. So I know how you parents of younger kids must feel right now.
So enjoy getting your kids ice cream or pancakes afterwards, and give yourself a nice adult beverage when you get back home!
CaseyL
That is wonderful news – though of course the places where adults are refusing the vaxx will very likely allow the refuseniks to also keep their kids from getting the shots. We already saw some of that with teens.
But every step forward is a step forward, so I’m very happy to hear this.
In related news, I am fresh back from getting my booster! No side effects at all, at least not yet. My second vax shot back in January, I felt slightly flu-ish that evening. So maybe something will develop in the next few hours.
burnspbesq
@Arclite:
There was a lot of completely understandable skepticism expressed in yesterday’s discussion, given RS’ history. Personally, I found it plausible but needing a lot of blanks filled in.
different-church-lady
@Baud: Yeah, I missed the target: they think pwning libs will make the virus laugh or something. It’s a completely humiliating way to die, and probably the only luck they have is not personally witnessing the internet laughing at their stupidity.
David Anderson
@Suzanne: My bug is looking at vaccination schedules to minimize disruption to soccer practice and taekwondo.
@Martin: Actually, the way that vaccines are getting paid for at the moment minimizes off-label usage.
Wapiti
@Arclite: I figure the RS article has a solid chance of being a kerning story. Get people under oath to get the story.
MomSense
????
Old School
Hooray! Only three more approvals to go!
GregMulka
I know the youngest spawn’s school has already made arrangements with Mercy for an onsite vaccination clinic. I don’t know how far soon that will be, though. Now begins the obsessive checking with every health system in the area to see who will stick a needle in his arm first.
Lyrebird
YES YES YES YES YES!!!
Got multiple kiddos, thankfully all in range, and two weeks after their second shot we’re going glam camping (aka staying in a hotel with an indoor pool) overnight somewhere!!! And yes ice cream too!
VeniceRiley
Pancakes. Pancakes a la mode.
zhena gogolia
Very nice. ?
Oh, that shambolic Biden, he just can’t do anything.
Can anyone remember how we were feeling in October 2020? Anybody’s memory go back that far? Looking at you, MSM.
Sure Lurkalot
I read somewhere that the estimate of the percentage of kids whose parents will vax them is like 50%. Can’t find the article now, I wonder. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 48% of 12-18 year olds are fully vaxxed. Every little bit helps but this shows a troubling level of aversion.
I got my booster on Saturday and had about 3 hours of side effects a little more than 24 hours post shot. Chills, headache, fatigue, mostly. They dissipated and didn’t return so as y’all say…at least it worked!
Suzanne
Our pediatrician’s office is right next to a pretty good candy store. Excellent planning. Anyway, there will definitely be a post-vax trip.
So of my three Spawns, Elder is 17 and already vaccinated. Younger is 10 and will be included in this round. Youngest is 2 and still can’t get one. But Younger getting one is critical, since she’s our likeliest vector at this point.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
Related. Absolutely wonderful news in my hometown:
Boardman parents create pro-mask group, speak at school board meeting
I’m glad people finally got organized in support of public health measures the district was undertaking. For awhile, it was all assholes yammering about their “parental rights”
NotMax
Pancakes or ice cream?
¿Por qué no los dos?
Also too, for something different, oven pancakes.
Sure Lurkalot
@Suzanne: I remember reading your comments when you were pregnant but I guess I never gleaned you had 3 kiddos and birthed about the same long distance apart. It must be an interesting dynamic.
Villago Delenda Est
Your daughter, David, is wise beyond her years.
Sure Lurkalot
@Lyrebird: Anyone ever tell you you’re a fun parent?
mrmoshpotato
@VeniceRiley:
Yes!
jeffreyw
@Villago Delenda Est:
As is his son, Sue.
Suzanne
@Sure Lurkalot: It’s nice. They’re far enough apart that they don’t really have rivalry. Younger is also very sensitive and caring, and she adores Youngest. Despite the age gap, they’re best buds. Elder enjoys being the PITA older brother.
JPL
@Suzanne: The youngest will be more protected as those who are older get their shots.
I read earlier that Moderna is close for that age group. I worry about grand imp. Remember him, the one that peed on the coffee table.
Suzanne
@JPL: Yes, for sure. Younger is in school every day, unvaxxed and masked. So she is the one most likely to bring it home. Getting her vaxxed will be great.
Benw
Woot!
NotMax
@jeffreyw
Sue?
(Cue Mel Blanc): Sí.
:)
J R in WV
@Lyrebird:
Many many years ago my folks, my little brother and I were on a driving vacation into New England. Then it got hot. Really, really hot!!
So the folks stopped at a big motel off the interstate, fully air conditioned, indoor pool, connected to a nice restaurant. We laughed, it was I-95 Hotel and it was 95 every day, and the car was not air conditioned. This was early 1960s.
We visited local book shops, where I was able to load up on SciFi and Fantasy novels to read. There was live music evenings at the Hotel, and the food was pretty good, local seafood, which we don’t get much of in WV. We stayed at the Hi-end motel for several days, until the heat wave broke and we could enjoy being outdoors again.
So your description of indoor pool glamping struck a loud bell with me and my memories.
Martin
@David Anderson: Yeah, I know. I’m just saying that if you want to get your kid vaccinated ahead of some important event, you can probably speed the process up. Might cost you.
Nicole
It was so frustrating listening to the reservations the advisory panel had on the vaccine, a lot of it hinging on the myocarditis side effects, and the lack of data (which nothing but actually getting the vaccine out there for kids will fix) and the feeling that Covid just isn’t that serious for kids. One of the panel pointed out that there are vaccines mandated for viruses considerably less serious. And also pointed out that the “less serious” was in circumstances with masking and social distancing and basically saying it’s not maintainable at the current level. Which yeah, it probably isn’t. I’ve been getting terrible mask fatigue this week. I’m not going to stop wearing it indoors, of course, but holy cow, I’ve been cranky and depressed about it.
What really grated on me was listening to the same people whining that there wasn’t enough data and that they were guessing about the vaccine make huge assumptions on how many kids have already had Covid and what level of protection they already had. Like, if you don’t want to make assumptions on the vaccine, why are you so eager to do it about natural infection?
Suzanne
@Nicole: People have essentially given up distancing. I love it and am happy to do that part forever. Masks suck, though.
J R in WV
@Nicole:
I believe everyone who wants to be out in public should be required to be vaccinated, fully immunized, or stay home but for trips to doctors or dentists.
Unless your physician, whom you have been seeing for years now, knows you have a specific diagnosable immune system disease which will kill you if you are exposed to these vaccines, you need to have the shot.
If you can’t have the shots, then you will get disability income from the Social Security system, and stay home 24/7. Along with your whole family. See how you like living on Social Security disability!! It will be a big sea change for you and your family….
sdhays
Wow. Forget about “maintainable”, in most of the country today, the “current level” is “practically no masking and little social distancing”.
Matt McIrvin
@Sure Lurkalot:
I figure the refusers will be approximately the same as the fraction of Republicans. So, close to half.
Matthew Yglesias was snarking about how he thought that, after all of this anticipation, about 30% of parents would vaccinate their kids and that would be that. But I suspect the vaccine is going to be mandatory in some blue-state school districts eventually, which should make it higher than that. I mean, they’re already planning that in California.
If we don’t descend into a blood vortex hell-world in the next few years, if we don’t start banning vaccines or lifting the mandate for polio or anything like that… eventually the political salience of COVID vaccination will die down and it’ll become uncontroversial, then we’ll get close to full coverage of children. But that might be a decade or more in the future.
Kalakal
Great news! I am so happy for the grandkids and their parents are over the moon
Cermet
@CaseyL: For me the effects started at 12 hours after the booster and by 15 hours felt really bad – full on flu symptoms. It all passed that night and the next day felt fine; a bit weak but that passed the following day.
I too find it tragic so many chose to die; and the poor children left behind. Hopefully, they grow up hating fox and all things republican.
Nicole
@sdhays:
Yeah, it was really frustrating because it really felt like they were cherry-picking data, and making suppositions on some things while criticizing suppositions made on others. But I guess they were mostly all Susan Collins; expressed concern, but in the end voted the way they were expected to.
mali muso
Yes! My kiddo turns 5 during thanksgiving week, so I’m hoping to get her vaxxed immediately after the holiday.
dr. bloor
@Nicole: I’m guessing you’ve never been in the position of having to cast a vote that will certainly–for better or worse, and we can’t be sure at this stage–affect the lives of several million five-to-eleven year old children.
Roger Moore
@Martin:
That’s technically true, but IIRC the American Academy of Pediatricians recommended against giving shots to children below the age that had been approved, and that was going to keep a lot of doctors from giving them. In the actual event, they are recommending a smaller dose for children. I think that was the big thing that caused the delay. It wasn’t that they were expecting that the vaccine was going to be dangerous or something, just that they wanted to make sure they got the dosing right.
Roger Moore
@burnspbesq:
This. It’s great to hear some people say the stuff we want to hear, but I’d like some documentary evidence to back it up.
Elizabelle
@mali muso: Almost five already! That’s gone quickly.
Very happy that kids can now be vaccinated too. Great news.
Maybe clinics should offer on the spot flu shots to the parents/guardians who accompany the children for the shot. Kid gets a shot; so does Mom and Dad.
debbie
@different-church-lady:
They’re not breaking my heart, especially when they punch out the healthcare workers because they refuse to believe they’re dying. At this point, fuckem.
Sure Lurkalot
@Benw: I’ll take the “woot” for your youngest soon to get poked and the start of the World Series. Go Braves!
Nicole
@dr. bloor: I absolutely have not, you’re right, but I did not find their reasonings for taking up time expressing concerns (right before voting to approve anyway) persuasive. If they were that concerned, they could have voted no. Instead, they spent an hour speculating over what percentage of children have already had Covid before going ahead and voting yes anyway, and lamenting that there wasn’t enough data (because the only way to get the amount of data they want is to actually use the vaccine in the general population).
Needless to say, though, I am glad they voted yes.
Roger Moore
@Suzanne:
I don’t think people have given up on physical distancing, or at least not everyone has. I’ve certainly noticed that people give each other a wider berth when encountering each other outside, and that’s despite the understanding that it’s very difficult to get the virus from a casual contact outside. Inside, people are still keeping a decent space cushion. They aren’t as fanatical about either one as the used to be, but they’re still giving a lot more distance than they did before the pandemic.
Ruckus
@different-church-lady:
Real people don’t want to get near them, they figured no disease would either. As always, they are wrong.
RaflW
@VeniceRiley: “Pancakes a la mode.”
Is there a recipe for a pancake flavored Baked Alaska? :)
Nicole
@Roger Moore:
The adult dose might actually be less effective in kids, too. Their immune systems have a certain number of naive immune cells, I think they’re called, that are available to learn very quickly about an invading pathogen, whereas adults have essentially used all our naive ones up. Too much vaccine can result in a less robust response for kids.
(One reason I get so frustrated with parents thinking they know a better vaccine schedule than the pediatricians. A lot of time and study has gone into these vaccine schedules so as to optimize children’s immune response to each shot.)
Roger Moore
@Matt McIrvin:
Technically speaking, California will mandate it at the state level, so individual school districts won’t be making the call. As it becomes fully approved, it will be added to the list of required vaccinations and that will be that. California has already done away with religious and philosophical exemptions to vaccination, so the vast majority of public school kids will be vaccinated. Full approval will take a while, but that’s the plan.
Ruckus
@Nicole:
Kids are often a lot smarter than they appear, so if dad and/or mom is acting like a total asshole, they usually understand that means he/she are total asshole(s). Except for the kids that want to grow up and be assholes. Those kids are lost forever.
RaflW
@Roger Moore: I suspect this is very city- or region-specific. I was at a Hampton Inn in St Louis the other night. In the morning I popped down to get a couple breakfast items to take back to the room and nuke.
I was N95 masked, had a tray, and tried to do the mix of moving fast but also distancing. Almost no one seemed to have a clue about personal space. And lots went and sat at tables to eat. A few of us were the tray-away-mask types.
I mean, even in the best of times, why are you crowding in to get at the sysco premade ‘cheese’ omelet anyway? And in a pandemic? (Yes I got the omelet. It does have some protein. But I wasn’t in a panic, they had plenty!).
burnspbesq
I wonder how many parents’ attitude toward the vaccine will mimic their attitude toward bike helmets.
You know the ones I’m talking about: the toddler in the back seat is helmeted, but Mom/Dad isn’t. The dumbest thing ever.
dr. bloor
@Nicole: So you’re happy with the outcome, but upset that they spent an hour or two expressing their concerns before voting as you hoped they would? About a vaccine developed on and released for adults in what was historically a light-speed development and oversight process?
You must be terribly disappointed you can’t somehow officially dock them for style points. Jesus Christ on a Ritz Cracker, get a grip.
Roger Moore
@RaflW:
You’re right; this kind of thing is very dependent on your location. I should specify that I’m on Los Angeles County, and people here seem to be generally good with physical distancing. I suspect some of this is that there are plenty of people like me who think physical distancing is a great idea we should maintain even after the pandemic is over. I’d be more than happy if the new etiquette said it’s not OK to get in someone’s face, ever.
smith
There’s obviously huge variation from place to place. Where I live in Chicago, mask compliance seems to be 100% indoors, and people are keeping their distance. I did some errands earlier today and everyone I saw indoors was wearing a mask properly. I can’t vouch for other parts of Chicago — I don’t venture far any more — but at least in my section of town people are holding the line.
mali muso
@Elizabelle: Yes, indeed. Simultaneously the fastest and slowest five years of my life. I remember canvassing for Hillary this weekend 5 years ago with my big pregnant belly…
Nicole
@dr. bloor: I was very concerned for an hour or so there that the panel would not vote yes, that is correct. It’s been a very long pandemic and as the parent of an under-12 year old whose school reported a positive case this very afternoon, I would like to see him vaccinated, yes. I am sorry that a stranger on the internet expressing their confusion and frustration over watching their first FDA panel live has caused you such mental rage and anguish. I wish you a better evening ahead.
Roger Moore
@dr. bloor:
I think they key thing to understand is that these are doctors, not politicians. When they express a concern, it’s something they’re thinking about, not an excuse for acting the way they were always going to act anyway.
Nicole
@Ruckus:
It’s a tough thing when the parent dies, though. Your relationship with their memory can get very complicated, especially when you’re trying to process the loss as a child, without the perspective (and development) of an adult brain. My grief over the loss of my dad lives in a very different space than my grief over my mom.
That said, you’re sure right that there’s no getting around what dicks some of these people were on social media, and if their kids see some of those posts years later… well, it may shift their perspective on Dad or Mom. The internet is forever!
gwangung
@dr. bloor: I think sausage making of any kind is hard on a lot of people.
I very much doubt there was any doubt—just a desire to be responsible and consider every possible angle.
Elizabelle
@mali muso: Today is Hillary Clinton’s birthday. She is 74.
Saw a tweet from Neera Tanden, attached to the Eric Bohlert tweet (about McAuliffe having a 24-point edge among early voters):
Ruckus
@Roger Moore:
I walk a lot and I will go out into the street to pass by others walking, giving each of us room. I notice that a lot of people smile/wave at me when I do this, they really seem to appreciate it.
mali muso
@Elizabelle: Hubby and I early voted for Terry Mac and the rest of team blue a few weeks ago. Hoping that high turnout in the Nova area helps us all bank the win.
LongHairedWeirdo
@dr. bloor: One of the biggest problems with our national, state, and local, discourse is that there are a lot of people out there wasting a lot of time talking about things that don’t make any sense at all.
Now, there’s one thing that’s been true, throughout this situation: it has *always* been the case, at *every* stage of the vaccine releases here in the US, that the vaccines are far safer than COVID-19. And if you’re a leader of people, and you’re confident in the data, and its interpretations for the parts you’re not qualified to understand, it’s up to you to try to inform and influence people, and that means one should not waste an hour or more agonizing over the what-ifs.
So, yeah, if you want to say it’s bad style, and people might want to dock them for it, I’ll wear that label proudly, because it’s the sort of bad style that misinforms, and aids and abets the disinformation. People should be annoyed with that, and ready to explain why they’re annoyed.
That said: perhaps we should agree that it’s way too much for people to be annoyed, and let their annoyance lead them to bitch about their annoyance…
ON A BLOG… IN THE COMMENTS SECTION!
And did we mention it was under a psueudonym?
Rachel Bakes
Can’t wait for our 10 year old to get it! On principle but also since he had to quarantine 8 times last year? More than that? Facilitating remote learning for a special needs child is …trying. The 12-18 population in town has a vaccination rate of about 70%. Hoping for the same in young’uns but I doubt it based on thr school nurse’s surprise at my vehement promise to get a shot in his arm ASAP.
Lyrebird
@Sure Lurkalot: AWWW thank you!!!!!
My kiddos are a fun-loving bunch, gotta say it.
And FWIW I am earnestly hoping that after FDA fully approves the kiddie shots, the somewhat northeastern state I am in will require them for school attendance along with the dozen other shots they already require…
Ksmiami
@different-church-lady: my bedtime ritual includes a stop at sorryantivaxxer.com. Yes, I’m a bad person
Lyrebird
@J R in WV: Sounds great, glad I could bring up such a nice memory!
Ruckus
@Nicole:
I agree.
My dad passed just over 20 yrs ago, after living with Alzheimers for 15 yrs or more. Mom lived another 11 yrs till the day before she turned 95. And the only change was as she got at the start of her 90s she got cranky. Noticeably. Sort of understandably. My dad and I were close, I was sitting in his hospital bed with my arm around him when he passed, it was so subtle that I was the only one that knew that he had.
And each of the 3 of us kids had different experiences with each of our parents, I imagine that’s the way it is in most families, when there are 2 parents.
Weekend Editor
I wrote up a summary of the FDA presentations, if anybody wants to dive into the details.
Dave's Dad
we are so looking forward to when Dave and Family are at our house ….as a grandparent…very enjoyable to watch the interactions of the grand kids with their cousins…also a lot of smiles when Dave and his siblings are together for a good family time
WaterGirl
@Dave’s Dad: Nice to see you here again, Dave’s Dad.
There’s a quirk in WordPress – If you have an apostrophe in your screen name, every single comment has to be manually approved, and no one else sees the comment until that happens.
So even though you have commented before, because of the apostrophe it got stuck again. Some people use an * in place of the apostrophe, and some leave out the apostrophe – either way, we all know what the deal is when we see that.
You must be proud to have a wonderful son like Dave!