Pending CDC approval, New York ready to vaccinate kids 12 and older

NEW YORK - Both Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that by Thursday New York City and New York state will be ready to administer Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to children between the ages of 12 and 15 after the CDC gives the go-ahead for this age group.

"Then we'll change the protocols for all the vaccine sites," Cuomo said.

And as you might expect, parents are split on how they feel about it.

"I think we don't know enough yet to test it on our kids," one parent told FOX 5 NY.

"The kids, I think they should not be given this type of treatment," another said.

And a third parent told us, "It's the only way to eradicate the virus."

The FDA has already said the Pfizer vaccine is safe for kids 12 to 15.

"The data compared the safety, the immune response, and the effectiveness of the vaccine in those 12- to 15-year-olds mirrored that in 16- through 25-year-olds," Dr. Hank Bernstein of Hofstra University's Zucker School of Medicine said. "So there really is no concern from a scientific perspective."

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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont say they will start giving the Pfizer vaccines once the CDC panel gives the green light.

De Blasio said the city will not require vaccinations for students and teachers in September.

"We just don't think it's the right way to go at this moment," the mayor said.

Cuomo said the state cannot mandate any of the COVID vaccines yet because they have been authorized for emergency use. However, if the vaccines receive full federal approval in the future, New Yorkers could be looking at vaccine mandates.

"If there was a federal approval it is going to be a legitimate topic of discussion, I can tell you that," Cuomo said.

FDA authorizes Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 12 to 15