Pfizer and BioNTech announced in a press release on March 31 that their COVID-19 vaccine is 100% effective against the virus in children ages 12 to 15. No one in the trial with the vaccine developed COVID-19, making the vaccine potentially even more effective for young people than it is for adults.

Teenagers should be eager to receive the vaccine and encourage others to do the same to reach herd immunity as soon as possible.

After rigorous research and testing from Pfizer, BioNTech and the Food and Drug Administration, it’s unambiguously clear that the vaccine is both safe and effective for adults. 

While young people are less prone to developing severe symptoms, adolescent vaccinations will give much-needed peace of mind and keep the United States on track to reach herd immunity. To gather in large groups, return to school without masks and defeat new variants of the virus, herd immunity is absolutely essential. 

By encouraging eligible Americans to receive their vaccination and combatting vaccine disinformation, students can expedite their own vaccination and help the U.S. population reach herd immunity as fast as possible.