Some Parents search for COVID vaccine trials in order to vaccinate their young children

Some parents around the U.S. are on the hunt for COVID-19 vaccine trials instead of waiting for FDA approval to get their young children inoculated, the New York Times reports.

Why it matters: As kids return for in-person schooling before those under 12 became eligible for shots, it's created anxiety for parents who worry about the small — but very real — possibility that their kid could become severely ill, experience long-term consequences from or die from COVID.

What they're saying: "This is probably the most dangerous time in the pandemic for children," Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University, told Axios.

• The Delta variant is highly transmissible and individuals are letting their guard down.

• "We're at a very high level of infection overall and the larger proportion of the susceptible population now is children," Wen said.

Driving the news: Kids made up more than a quarter (26.9%) of new weekly COVID-19 cases nationwide, according to the latest data available from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Some parents are pushing their pediatricians to OK off-label adult shots for their kids, and demand driven by parental concern has made slots in children's vaccine trials scarce, per NYT. ...

ALSO SEE: U.S. could authorize Pfizer COVID-19 shot for kids age 5-11 in October -Reuters sources