“Makes you wonder … is it worth it.” Regina Tully said. The Verona resident is questioning her decision to have all three of her children vaccinated against COVID-19 given data from New York that shows the ability of Pfizer’s vaccine to prevent infections in young children plummets to just 12% after about a month. Dr. Martin Blaser, director of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at Rutgers University, said that Pfizer deliberately erred on the side of caution, cutting the dose for young kids to one-third of the adult shot.

Epidemiologist Stephanie Silvera of Montclair State University said she now fears what might happen when the mask mandate is lifted at New Jersey schools on Monday but kids’ vaccinations aren’t as protective as once believed. Meanwhile, Bergen Republican Sen. Holly Schepisi wants New Jersey’s Department of Health to provide the same dataset as New York so that lawmakers, parents and health professionals can make better-informed decisions.