Timeline: When can kids under 12 get COVID shots?

Also: Boston's tent crisis; syphilis is resurging across the U.S. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [View in Browser]( | [Donate [WBUR]]( [WBUR](  [WBUR]( November 1, 2021 Dear Commonhealth readers, This could be a big week for kids. The rainy weather paused briefly for their Halloween festivities, and many are optimistic that a pediatric COVID vaccine for 5- to 11-year-olds could get the official blessing this week. The FDA has already weighed in and given their thumbs up. Now, it's the CDC's turn. Tomorrow, their panel of independent experts will meet to discuss the topic. While this is all happening, the vials are [finding their way to the right places]( such that – if there are no hiccups – shots could start going into little arms by the end of the week. As we've reported, [about a third]( of parents say they'll be racing out to get their kids the shot as soon as possible. Pediatricians and public health officials will be working to [convince the others]( to get their kids vaccinated. But, I've been wondering, how about all those kids under 5? For them, the wait for a vaccine continues. I spoke to a few experts, and they say the next age group for the Pfizer vaccine, 2- to 5-year-olds, is not far behind. They were hesitant to give a concrete timeline, but Rick Malley, of Boston Children's Hospital, said, "it's not going to be six months. It's probably going to be sooner than that." We'll keep you up to date as everything unfolds! — Gabrielle Emanuel, senior health reporter [@gabrieman]( newsletters@wbur.org Must Reads url[This doctor has spent decades treating Boston's homeless population and says city's tent crisis is worst he's seen]( Dr. Jim O'Connell has spent more than 35 years treating people who live on the streets of Boston. As the city removes tents from an area near the South End where they have proliferated, he describes contending with HIV outbreak. [Read more.]( - Related: [Janey outlines removal procedures for tent encampment, says correction court will begin Monday](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    [Parents should be patient about getting COVID vaccines for kids, White House says]( The process isn't as simple as just opening up appointments at pharmacies, as it was when adult boosters were authorized in recent weeks. Younger children will be getting a smaller dose delivered via smaller needles for smaller arms. It's a different formulation, in different packaging — a new program for a new population that requires greater sensitivity. [Read more.]( - News you can use: [When can kids under 12 get their shots? Here's the timeline](  [Syphilis is resurging in the U.S., a sign of public health's funding crisis]( Syphilis is not an outlier. The United States goes through what former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden calls "a deadly cycle of panic and neglect" in which emergencies propel officials to scramble and throw money at a problem — whether that's Ebola, Zika or COVID-19. Then, as fear ebbs, so does the attention and motivation to finish the task. [Read more.](  Support the news [6 tips to help you pick the right health insurance plan]( The Biden administration is pulling out the stops to help people find good health plans on HealthCare.gov right now – the open enrollment period starts this week. You will have more time to sign up, more free help choosing a plan, and a greater likelihood you'll be eligible for subsidies to help keep down the costs of a health plan you buy via the ACA marketplace. [Read more.](  What We're Reading Boston lost a baseball icon to cancer over the weekend. Jerry Remy, a Boston Red Sox second baseman who went on to become a local legend as a television broadcaster, [died]( on Saturday night at the age of 68. An obituary is not the usual newsletter "must read" suggestion for us, but for Remy we wanted to make an exception. Not only for the place he held in locals' hearts, but also because his struggle with cancer was well known to baseball fans. Remy, a former smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008, the first of seven times he would require treatment for the disease. There have been many tributes to Remy, but [Chad Finn's obituary for The Boston Globe]( was a heartfelt salute to "The RemDawg,” which gave a close look at Remy's life, inside and outside of baseball. It's well worth a read. “ As you start to care for these folks, as you stop seeing them as a bunch of people in a tent and see them as individuals who have been through some version of their own hell ... you can't leave them. — Dr. Jim O'Connell, ["This doctor has spent decades treating Boston's homeless population and says city's tent crisis is worst he's seen"]( ICYMI [COVID's endgame: Scientists have a clue about where SARS-CoV-2 is headed]( The researchers were studying another coronavirus, called 229E, that causes only a mild cold in humans. But the results of that experiment offer some intriguing insights into the possible endgame of the COVID-19 pandemic.      Did you know daylight saving time [officially ends]( at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7? Set your clocks, and get ready to gain an hour of sleep. Senior Newsletter Editor Meagan McGinnes was the producer of this week's newsletter. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news [WBUR]( [WBUR][WBUR]( [95289b97-66e8-43d4-a174-3bc3520a79a9.png]( [Instagram](  [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Want to change how you receive these emails? [Stop getting this newsletter by updating your preferences.]( I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. [Unsubscribe from all newsletters](. Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2021 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved. You signed up for this newsletter at wbur.org. Our mailing address is: WBUR-FM 890 Commonwealth AveBoston, MA 02215-1205 [Add us to your address book](