Fauci says he would vaccinate his daughters ‘in a second’ if they were children

Anthony Fauci said in a new interview that he would vaccinate his three daughters against the coronavirus “in a second” if they were children.

In the interview with Axios, Fauci urged parents to get their children vaccinated, despite the low chances of young kids getting seriously sick.

“I sure as hell wouldn’t want them to get COVID-19. I would vaccinate them in a second,” Fauci said of his three adult daughters.

“Even though the chances of [a child] getting sick and seriously ill are small — why do you want to take a chance of that with your child, when you can essentially protect the child by an intervention that is proven to be both highly effective and very safe?” he asked. 

Fauci’s comments come as federal public health officials get closer to extending vaccine eligibility for children younger than 12 years old.

Earlier this month, the White House coronavirus task force urged state leaders to be prepared to start rolling out vaccines for kids as soon as early November.  

Currently, only Pfizer’s vaccine is authorized under emergency use for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel voted unanimously on Tuesday to authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 and 11.

Meanwhile, Moderna said Monday that its coronavirus vaccine generated a strong immune response in children ages 6 to 11 years old. The company has previously requested the FDA authorize its vaccine for adolescents ages 12 to 17, but the agency has not acted on the request.

Fauci told Axios that vaccinating children would be “an important step in the right direction of controlling the COVID-19 outbreak in this country.” 

He added that he’d like to see the rollout be “as convenient as possible for parents” by having vaccinations available at pediatricians’ offices, pharmacies, children’s hospitals and community centers.