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With so much COVID-19 news breaking this week, including the authorization of vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11 and a Jan. 4 federal mandate for workers at any company that employs at least 100 people to be vaccinated or get tested weekly, we wanted to sit down with Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, to discuss the pressing COVID-19 issues we're facing right now.
WebMD: Now that kids ages 5 to 11 are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, what still concerns you?
Osterholm: Right now, you have a situation where about a third of parents are indicating they will get their kids vaccinated as soon as possible. Then there are a third of parents saying, "Maybe, I will wait and see," and the final third who are saying, "No way." Now we need to see how many of that middle group of parents will get their kids vaccinated. That could determine what the holiday season will look like.
WebMD: How do you feel about the Biden administration's mandate for workers to get vaccinated or get tested weekly by Jan.
