Feb. 25, 2021 letter from the American Academy of Pediatrics
"On behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a non
-profit professional organization of more than 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults, I write to
urge the administration to use every measure available to achieve authorization of COVID-19 vaccines in children as soon as can be done safely.
children have suffered throughout the pandemic in ways both seen and unseen,” said Dr. Beers. “We cannot allow children to be an afterthought when they have shared so much burden throughout this pandemic.”
According to
data compiled by the AAP and Children’s Hospital Association,
more than 3 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States. Among the children who have acquired COVID-19,
247 have died from the virus, with more than two-thirds of these deaths occurring in Black and Latinx children.
In addition to suffering from the physical effects of the virus, the duration of the pandemic, isolation from friends and family, effects of parental stress and economic hardship, and loss of loved ones are also taking their toll on children’s mental health. Youth suicides and pediatric emergency room visits have been on the rise.
