“I want to remind parents to take all necessary precautions to prevent infants from exposure to the virus,” New Jersey health commissioner Judy Persichilli advised Monday, as she reported a rise in COVID-19-related deaths among children. Four children have died of COVID-19 since Christmas — three of them, infants — bringing the state’s overall mortality from the disease among children to 12. On Friday, six children with MISC — a severe complication from COVID-19 — were hospitalized, the most in a single day.
Doctors say that COVID-19 vaccines do protect most children from severe illness; and many parents with kids still too young to get vaccinated are eager to see the Food and Drug Administration approve jabs for kids under age five. But clinical trials with the Pfizer vaccine have hit a hurdle, and investigators are meeting this week to discuss the issue.
