Alfredo Torres, a microbiology and immunology professor from Texas, had a message Wednesday for parents who might be reluctant to get their children vaccinated against Covid-19: Go for it.
Not only was Torres a volunteer for a Pfizer vaccine clinical trial; so was his 14-year-old son.
"Afterward his arm was a little sore, he was a little tired, which is what happens to most people after getting the shot," Torres said. "But besides that, he was perfectly fine. So my message to parents who might be concerned is very simple: We need to vaccinate as many people as possible to end this pandemic, and that means vaccinating children, as well."
"This vaccine is safe for children," said Torres, who teaches at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
Pfizer said Wednesday that its Covid-19 vaccine is safe and 100 percent effective in preventing the illness in teenagers ages 12 to 15.
"After I volunteered, he immediately said he wanted to volunteer, as well," Torres said of his son. "I am very proud."
Torres is far from the only parent who is cheering Pfizer's announcement. Some of the loudest applause came from parents with high-risk children who have already been vaccinated.
Paige Wallis of Malden, Massachusetts, was relieved after her autistic 16-year-old daughter, Sylvie, got her first Pfizer shot last week.
"She just turned 16 earlier this month and qualified for being high-risk — a rare genetic disorder with congenital effects and intellectual disability," Wallis said.