Marian Regional Medical Center: Health experts discuss safety of COVID-19 vaccine for kids

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Kids and teens 12 years old and up are now able to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Some parents on the Central Coast are being cautious and considering whether to get their kids vaccinated.

Batavia Noe from Santa Maria is a mother of two young daughters.

Her kids are 2 and 7 years old, too young to get the vaccine right now.

But Pfizer is trying to get approval for ages 2 and up by September.

"I have given both of my girls all of their up-to-date on their vaccines so again I’m not against it," said Noe.

Noe is also undecided on whether the vaccine is the best choice for herself.

Health experts at Marian Regional Medical Center recommend the Pfizer vaccine for anyone 12 and up, and say those who are unsure should talk to their doctor.

"So we now have hundreds of millions individuals globally that have received the COVID-19 vaccine and the safety profile is excellent," said Dr. Scott Robertson at Marian Regional Medical Center.

However, as Robertson explains, being safe does not necessarily mean risk-free.

"So in any decision that we make in healthcare we have to weigh the risks and the benefits of any sort of treatment or therapeutic that we do ... as the FDA looks at the data they would not approve a vaccine that would be available in children, if they weren’t extremely confident that safety outweighed any sort of potential risk that you may see," said Robertson.

Since Noe's kids fall below the age limit for Pfizer right now, she still has time to decide whether to get her kids vaccinated when the time comes.

"I will definitely be doing research, and reading. I’m looking into that," said Noe.