After months of waiting, on Oct 29, the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer-BioNTech’s coronavirus vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. Many parents and teachers in the Sammamish community were relieved once hearing the announcement.

“It was a very happy day in our house. My kids do not like getting shots, but it was the first time I’ve ever heard them say, I can’t wait to get the shot,” said Megan Santos, a Humanities teacher at Skyline High School.

With two daughters at 9 and 10 years old, Santos did not realize the challenges covid weighed on her subconscious until she was able to get her kids vaccinated.

“I was surprised at how relieving it was when they actually got their shot, there was just a weight that I didn’t know I had had,” said Santos. “They just seem a little freer which is nice.”

Skyline Teacher Courtney Bede, who is also a parent, expressed similar feelings towards the new announcement. 

“For our household…we were very happy when it was released and when it was deemed to be appropriate for 5 to 11, it was definitely a positive,” said Bede. “It was a feeling of relief when they released it.”

The eligibility of the covid vaccine being available to ages 5-11 a few months after the vaccine for ages 12 and older has been released back in Dec, is an additional resource families can use to ensure their kids remain on campus, safely interact with their friends, and participate in extracurriculars. 

Moreover, Bede believes that the vaccine is one more necessary precaution “to getting things back to pre-pandemic normal.”

“I think that it was a very pivotal point in the pandemic when it was available for first 12-18 yr olds as far as Pfizer,” said Bede. “I think it was a really important movement coming back to school and gaining some normalcy.”

With being back on campus this school year, teacher’s are feeling uneasy in regards to keeping themselves and students safe in the enclosed environment. 

“I think for the teacher population… it was really important for teachers to feel safer coming into schools having that [the vaccine] available,” said Bede.

Even children before gaining access to the vaccine were expressing emotions of concern.

“My youngest daughter was really concerned at the beginning [of the school year] because she has a teacher with a hearing impairment…they wear the face shields instead of masks sometimes,” said Santos. “That made her really nervous at the beginning of the year because that means kids taking off their masks and putting something else on.”

After receiving the first dose, Santo’s daughter has felt better about her current classroom circumstances. 

Although most parent teachers are quick to jump at the opportunity of getting their kids vaccinated, and in support of regulations to keep themselves, their children and students safe, other parents do not share the same views.

Parents want to see more data and critical studies completed before they decide to give the vaccine to their kids. In addition, another major concern for parents is trying to understand the differences between the two different Pfizer vaccines. 

According to the Washington State of Health, statistics show that cases in children are significantly lower risk than in adults, leaving parents to think that it is more of interest for adults to get vaccinated, rather than children because of the greater risk adults are susceptible to.  

Even though children are at a lower risk for contracting severe cases of COVID-19, they are still able to get seriously ill. According to FDA data, children ages 5 to 11 account for 9 percent of reported cases in the U.S. the end in severe cases and 39 percent of cases in people younger than 18.

In response to the release of the covid vaccine for ages 5-11, the Issaquah School District with the partnership of Costco established a free covid vaccine clinic for families. This opportunity allows families who were unable to book an appointment for the vaccine a chance for their younger children to get vaccinated.