Go Ahead. Vaccinate the Kids.

It’s easy to argue for vaccinating adults and teenagers against COVID-19. Some think it’s harder to make the case for kids under 12 years of age, and for understandable reasons. Much of the world remains unvaccinated, kids have generally been much less affected by the coronavirus, and we don’t yet have a thorough understanding of the risks versus the benefits. Still, if we weigh all the pros and cons, the argument for immunizing young children is much stronger than the argument against.

Let me start with the most compelling argument to vaccinate kids: the international ethical one. Adults all over under 12 who are completely unvaccinated—and at —is the best way to provide significant benefits to everyone, limit the spread of the virus, and prevent future variants from developing here.