URGENCY OF COVID-19 VACCINATION IN ADOLESCENTS: ANDROGEN AND ESTROGEN RECEPTORS VIEW

Abstract

Given that international and domestic flights now require only adults to be vaccinated or have negative PCR test results, adolescents’ vacci nation of COVID-19 for safe travel needs urgent consideration. As adults benefit from vaccination policies that give them priority, now children may become a source of infection transmission leading to new COVID-19 wave outbreaks [1]. With the new cases surging, 12–17 years old adolescents are rec ommended for vaccination (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/20 19-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/adolescents.html). However, the hesitation and decreasing roll-out make further worrisome because ad olescents’ immune system development or the elevation of hormones may let them become more vulnerable to the infection of SARS-CoV-2 and emerging variants.