Arkansas Children’s Hospital reported 11 confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations Monday along with several more suspected. 

A health care worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at Boston Medical Center on June 17.

“As someone who has seen the repercussions of such a horrible disease, I hope that people understand a possible vaccine is something that helps us all, including our children”

Many families will soon face a complicated choice about how quickly to resume their pre-pandemic activities.

While a growing number of adults are getting vaccinated for COVID-19, most kids are still waiting to be eligible.

Wearing a mask and a face shield to curb the spread of the coronavirus, 10-year-old Jade Chan Puc writes in her workbook during the first day of class in Hecelchakán, Campeche state, Mexico, on April 19. On average, schools in Latin America and the Caribbean were closed longer than any in any other region, according to UNICEF.

The US Food and Drug Administration expects to authorize the Pfizer vaccine for those age 12 to 15 by next week, potentially even sooner. At the same time, the company is looking at ways to make the vaccine available to children even younger.

On Monday, every adult became eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine. So when will children be able to get their shots? While children under 16 have not been approved to receive any of the currently available shots, clinical trials to get shots in little arms are underway.