This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

NEW ORLEANS — Moderna is following the footsteps of Pfizer.

The medical company announcing their covid vaccine is 100% effective in adolescents 12 to 17 years old. The company is seeking an emergency use authorization from the FDA, a process that could take four to eight weeks before it’s approved.

“It’s really been impressive outcomes data in this age group even more so than in adults, and we know that it works really well in the adult population. This absolutely prevents children ages 12 to 17 from getting severe illness with covid-19,” said Dr. Leron Finger, Chief Quality Officer at Children’s Hospital New Orleans.

FDA approval of Moderna for kids would boost immunity in New Orleans, but the parents we spoke to say they’re wary of the vaccine.

“We haven’t been vaccinating people that long. I am definitely a supporter of that, we need to do something about what’s occurred in the last year. But for it to be children, I wouldn’t want to do that,” said Josephine Quan.

“The covid is proven to be more deadly for older people with conditions and things like that. There have been hardly any young people die from covid, so there’s not a good reason to get them vaccinated,” said Leon Casey.

But Dr. Finger says there is, especially if we want to get back to a life of normalcy sooner rather than later.

“The ability to not have to quarantine if you’re coming in close contact with someone who had covid is going to be huge inducement for kids this age. They might even be able to say to their vaccine hesitant parent “Hey mom, dad, please let me get this vaccine. I want to return to life as I knew it before March 2020′,” said Dr. Finger.

If anything, medical experts add it’s critical for adolescents to get vaccinated to protect their friends and family who are at risk.

Dr. Finger says the data between Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are nearly identical when it comes to adolescent efficiency. He says both vaccines are incredibly safe and says kids may experience minor side effects like soreness of the injection site or a mild fever.

If you’re interested in scheduling a vaccine appointment for your child, visit https://ldh.la.gov/covidvaccine/.