ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Health experts generally recommend waiting at least two weeks after you finish your COVID-19 vaccine series in order to get full protection.
"If you get it now, you’ll be ready for Christmas. You won’t be ready for Thanksgiving, but you will be ready for Christmas," Dr. Nancy Silva, a pediatrician who runs Small World Pediatrics in Wesley Chapel, said.
For children ages 5 to 11, that means waiting after the second shot of the Pfizer vaccine, which takes three weeks to finish the series. The CDC signed off on approving a lower dosage of the vaccine for the age group this past Tuesday.
But even if a child within the age group hasn't been fully vaccinated by Thanksgiving, Silva said there is still some layer of protection.
"It's over 70 percent effective with just the one," Silva said. "That offers you some comfort if you were going to plan Thanksgiving anyway."
Silva said it's still best practice to mask up and social distance to further protect families.
It may not be until early next year until we see a large proportion of children 5-11 are protected from COVID-19, according to Dr. Michael Teng, USF associate professor of medicine.
But it's a start since children ineligible for the vaccine are driving COVID-19 cases, he said.
"They're kind of bearing the brunt," Teng said.
Silva and Teng both parents of children within the age group said it's a relief to protect them from COVID-19.
For instance, Silva said her daughter can plan sleepovers with friends and see her grandparents without a mask on.
"She’s thinking about all the people she loves that she can spend time with freely," Silva said.
Teng recommends any parents with questions reach out to their local pediatricians. The new eligibility applies to about 28 million Americans.
"That's a substantial proportion of our population," Teng said. "I was very excited to see this Emergency Use Authorization."