Democracy Dies in Darkness

Opinion Real-world data on the safety of covid shots for young children is just weeks away

By
November 12, 2021 at 5:35 p.m. EST
Dr. Marc Lashley gives brothers Aaru Diaz, left, and Taylan De Gal their covid-19 vaccines with assistance from Hofstra medical student Dan Bastardi at Valley Stream Pediatrics in Valley Stream, N.Y., on Nov. 3. (Jackie Molloy for The Washington Post)

Rachel M. Pearson is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

A recent poll shows a third of parents of 5-to-11-year-olds are waiting to see more data on the coronavirus vaccine before choosing to vaccinate their children. Such parents won’t need to wait long: With the White House projecting that 900,000 kids in this age group will have their first vaccine this week, we will soon have enough information to detect even very rare vaccine side effects.