When Vaccines Aren’t an Option: Life for Families With Children Under 12

About 48 million American children are not eligible for a coronavirus shot. Their parents face difficult choices as school starts.

President Biden has declared the current coronavirus surge a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” But as the United States confronts its worst moment of the pandemic since the winter, there is a group of 48 million people who do not have the option of getting a vaccine: children under 12. Because a vaccine is not yet authorized for young children, and may not be for some time, their families are left in a particularly difficult position heading into this school year.