A new study says low doses of the Pfizer vaccine are safe for kids as young as 5-years-old

Articles, tweets, and social media posts are all buzzing after Pfizer announced a study that shows low doses of it's COVID 19 vaccine is safe and effective for children as young as 5 years old, triggering a healthy and robust immune system equivalent to that of teenagers and adults who take the same vaccine in higher doses.
This might seem like great news to help parents, teachers, and pediatricians feel a bit more hopeful as COVID-/Delta outbreaks continue to disrupt education.
For a bit of context: Since schools have begun, even with the mask mandates, child cases have increased by 500,000 since school began.
But with endless debates about vaccine safety, mask mandates, and civic duty vs. oppression, will the vaccine approval really make a dent in the efforts of our health officials? There are a few things that make me wonder if we should be celebrating just yet.
One concern: will parents wait until the vaccine is approved?
Pfizer still needs to submit its data to the FDA before it can really be deemed safe for kids. Even if the information was sent in by the end of this week, the reviewing process could take weeks, even up to a month. Since Pfizer is currently approved by the FDA for 12-year-olds, some parents are asking pediatricians to bend the rules by giving it to their 11-year-olds. Thinking the current dose safe, parents unknowingly are injecting their pre-teens with three times the recommended amount for that age, according to the latest study.
Second (and this is the big one): will enough parents find the vaccine safe enough, even if approved by the FDA?
According to an interview in the Washington Post, pediatric disease specialist Sharon Nachman said that while the new child vaccine development is a "huge, huge step forward," she is still "cautiously optimistic" about the news. The vaccine side effects on muscle inflammation in the heart is certainly just one disconcerting aspect, even though officials say the benefits outweigh the risks.
Third: will parents even see the vaccine as necessary?
Many parents see the disease as harmless to young children, considering few report severe illness after receiving diagnosis. Or, they think that alternative methods, like higher vitamin doses, can prevent it.
This logic doesn't take into account that children are still being hospitalized, can still spread COVID to those with compromised immune systems, and reports show that it is, in fact, not harmless.
All of my concerns really stem from a much larger one, which is a widespread lack of accurate information due to fear mongering by unqualified influencers posing as health experts. No new news here, I know, but case and point below.
Special thanks to @scitimewithtracy for patiently debunking.
@scitimewithtracy ##duet with @scitimewithtracy part 2. ##turnsoutthat ##datadrivendiva ##TeamofTomorrow ##vaccine ##misinformation ##covid19
♬ original sound - ProfTracy
Personally, I understand the fear. At their core, parents want to do the right thing by their kids. No matter what side of the vaccine debate they stand on, parents are assuming a great deal of risk in their decisions, and I'm sure make no decision lightly.
However, I will leave this tweet from Ryan J. Reilly, showing a jaw dropping visual presentation of the current COVID death toll, as a lasting image indicating what everyone is really risking by not taking action:
Quite stunning to see the COVID death toll represented like this.pic.twitter.com/mae0A9nWDw— Ryan J. Reilly (@Ryan J. Reilly) 1632097978
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.