UPMC officials: Vaccines for kids will save lives
During a news conference Friday morning, UPMC doctors encouraged vaccination for children ages 5 to 11 on the heels of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine for younger children earlier in the week.
Tami Minnier, chief quality officer of UPMC, encouraged everyone to continue to focus on three points of protection and response for themselves and their children: wearing a mask, getting the vaccine and getting tested if they get sick.
“The Pfizer COVID-19 5-11 vaccine is here, and we are ready. We have a lot of experience with this vaccine in adults and adolescents. It has been thoroughly studied in young children, with the same outcome. It is safe and effective, and it will save lives,” said Dr. Alejandro Hoberman, president of UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics. “This is now a vaccine preventable disease, like measles or polio, and many other diseases that affect children. As a society, we must protect our children, and the vaccine can do this.”
Read more in Friday's Butler Eagle.
