Children's Immunization: Exploring the Moral Imperative for Vaccination Today
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for use in 12- to 15-year-olds on May 10, 2021. This decision follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) unanimous vote to recommend the vaccine for this cohort on May 12th.
The move to vaccinate adolescents is significant, as a small percentage of this age group could suffer serious illness and require hospitalization if infected. The long-term effects of the disease are not yet fully understood. Vaccinating teens protects them from these harms while securing other benefits.
By getting vaccinated, these youths will help our nation achieve valuable collective goals. They will contribute to solidifying protection for those in our community who have been unable-or have refused-to be vaccinated. If the vaccines prevent infection as well as disease, then vaccinating this age group can fill gaps in the road to herd immunity.
Expanding access to teenagers will boost daily vaccination rates and help achieve broad protection sooner. This is crucial, as the demand for COVID-19 vaccines in the adult population has dwindled, with only 64% of American adults planning to receive at least one dose.
However, the decision to vaccinate adolescents has not been without controversy. Some critics argue that it is unjust, unfair line-cutting on a global scale, finding it morally absurd to prioritize low-risk American adolescents over high-risk persons beyond our borders.
Kyle Ferguson, PhD and Arthur Caplan, PhD, in a post discussing the COVID-19 pandemic, ethics, global ethics, pediatrics, and vaccines, argue that a just distribution of coronavirus vaccines can reflect associative ties of community membership and leaders' commitments to their own citizens. They suggest that donated doses may not guarantee reaching high-risk individuals in recipient countries.
The Biden Administration intends to share up to 60 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine with other countries, separate from the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for teenagers. However, the distribution of these doses is challenging due to logistical, transport, and storage demands, and much of the world lacks the infrastructure needed to deliver them.
Despite the controversy, vaccinating adolescents can aid the return to in-person schooling and other social activities for 12- to 15-year-olds. Young teens have started getting their shots, and this protection we owe them. By doing so, we can fill gaps in the road to herd immunity and move one step closer to a return to normalcy.
Read also:
- Men Possessing XXY Chromosomes Suffer from Klinefelter Syndrome
- Money allocated, approximately 1.17 million euros, for local nursing conferences
- Leeds set for a healthier future through new collaborative endeavor
- Eight strategies for promoting restful slumber in individuals with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
