CNN Medical Analyst Says ‘We Need to Raise the Level of Urgency’ on Getting Vaccines Authorized for Younger Kids

CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen expressed concern on Wednesday night about the current risk of kids under twelve getting covid-19.

NPR reported that 15 percent of all newly reported covid cases for the week ending on August 5th were among children.

Anderson Cooper asked Wen about the timeline laid out by the Surgeon General that vaccines for kids under 12 could be available before the end of 2021.

“It feels like our timeline keeps on getting pushed back,” she responded, “because initially there were some reports maybe as early as September, October, we would be able to see the vaccines be authorized for the 5 to 11-year-old group and maybe the 3 to 5-year-old group by the end of this year.”

She said there should be more transparency on the decision-making, asking, “How close with we to getting those results? And also how much data is the FDA actually waiting for?”

“The urgency to get the vaccines for younger children is quite extraordinary now. Right now we’re entering a period that is arguably the most dangerous time for children during the entire pandemic,” Wen added.

She said public health officials should absolutely not cut corners, but emphasized “we need to raise the level of urgency” on this.

Wen wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post raising the same point and offering advice for families to follow, including making sure all adults in the household are vaccinated and having kids mask up in schools.

You can watch above, via CNN.