How COVID shots for kids help prevent dangerous new variants

By LAURA UNGAR
AP Medical Writer

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Scientists say vaccinating kids should not only slow the spread of the coronavirus but also help prevent potentially-dangerous variants from emerging. Each new infection brings another opportunity for the virus to mutate and evolve dangerous new traits. Protecting a new, large chunk of the population, in the U.S. or around the world, limits those opportunities. The recent move to offer COVID-19 vaccines to 28 million U.S. children age 5 to 11 also means reducing silent spread. When the virus spreads unseen and unabated, some experts say, more people contract it and variants may arise.