Valley physician says parents shouldn’t lie about kids’ ages to get COVID-19 vaccine

PHOENIX — Parents eager to get their young children vaccinated against COVID-19 shouldn’t lie about their kids’ ages to do so, a Valley doctor said Thursday.

Dr. Frank LoVecchio, an emergency medicine physician with Valleywise Health, understands concerns families are dealing with — including school being back in session — but wants parents to trust health professionals.

“My gut feeling and what most believe is that it’s going to be very safe for children,” LoVecchio told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News.

“However, it’s not great to lie about this and the reason why is they’re probably trying to figure out the right dose.”

LoVecchio said he expects the vaccine to be available to children between the ages of 5 and 11 in a few months, maybe as soon as December.

Most young children he’s seen with COVID-19 haven’t experienced serious symptoms, LoVecchio said.

The minimum age is 12 to receive the Pfizer shot, which was given full approval earlier this week by the Food and Drug Administration.

“I say stay patient and in a couple of months, hopefully by the end of the year, we’ll have the vaccine available for kids,” LoVecchio said.

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