Yes. Currently, Pfizer is authorized for use with patients age 12 and above, and has received full FDA approval for use in patients age 16 and above.
At this time, alternative COVID-19 vaccines are not available for children and teens until more studies are completed. Such studies are underway in older children and are planned in younger children. COVID-19 is generally less severe in children than adults; nevertheless, the risk of severe disease in children with underlying medical conditions, and the general desire to prevent COVID-19 in children remain compelling reasons for vaccine studies in children.
Learn more about the COVID-19 Vaccine in Marin County on our vaccine information webpage.
Children were not included in the early vaccine studies for safety reasons, vaccines are typically tested on adults first. But once a vaccine is shown to be safe and effective in adults, researchers run more trials on children to adjust the dosage for their bodies. Another factor in the wait for a vaccine for children is that they are far less likely to die from Covid-19 than adults are. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report in September which concluded that, of more than 190,000 people who died in the United States with Covid-19, only 121 were under the age of 21.