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IU McKinney Professor Ross Silverman is co-author of an article in the Journal of Pediatrics looking at the prospects of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for the pediatric population, including the reasons for moderating the uncritical optimism that a vaccine for children or adults, by itself, will solve the COVID-19 pandemic problems.

The article, with IU School of Medicine co-authors Gregory D. Zimet and J. Dennis Fortenberry, notes that morbidity and mortality associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection are significantly lower in young children and in adolescents and children may be less susceptible to infection. Yet there have been reports of some severe COVID-19 disease symptoms and some instances of death in children and adolescents.

Up until mid-October 2020, no minors had been enrolled in any SARS-CoV-2 vaccine clinical trials.

“There is a strong rationale for including children and adolescents in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine clinical trials and for including minors as important targets for vaccination, principally to protect older adults with whom they interact, and achieve potential community protection. At the same time, it is essential that we temper the expectations that availability of one or more SARS-CoV-2 vaccines will allow children, adolescents, and adults to resume a normal, pre-COVID-19 life,” according to the authors.

Even as vaccines become available, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI), including hand-washing, mask-wearing, and maintaining physical distancing will still be needed for some time to come, the journal article says.