Fauci says it's a 'good idea' to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for kids going to school

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, adjusts a face mask during a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on the federal coronavirus response on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 18, 2021.

AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool

• Dr. Anthony Fauci said he's in support of COVID-19 vaccination mandates for kids going to school.
• Fauci told CNN's Jake Tapper vaccine mandates for students aren't new.
• Currently, only those above the age of 12 are eligible to be vaccinated.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he thinks it's a "good idea" to mandate COVID-19 vaccines for kids attending school.

"This is not something new," Fauci told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union."

"We have mandates in many places in schools, particularly public schools, that if in fact you want a child to come in -- we've done this for decades and decades requiring (vaccines for) polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis ... So this would not be something new, requiring vaccinations for children to come to school," Fauci said.

COVID-19 cases and infections have been rising, including among children, as the more transmissible Delta variant spreads.

The Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve any COVID-19 vaccine for use in those under the age of 12. Pfizer's vaccine recently received full FDA approval for use on those older than 16.

Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, told NPR that Pfizer is expected to present clinical trial findings for those aged 5 to 11 years old to the FDA next month. However, he says it could take months after that to approve emergency use of the vaccine for kids.

"I've got to be honest, I don't see the approval for kids - 5 to 11 - coming much before the end of 2021," Collins said.

Some parents have been so concerned about the spread of Delta that they are asking pediatricians to vaccinate their kids under 12 prior to FDA approval.

A Los Angeles pediatrician previously told Insider that until there is FDA approval, they won't be vaccinating anyone under 12.

The Centers for Disease Control has recommended that those over 12 get vaccinated to help stop the spread of the virus.

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