In a matter of days, Pfizer CEO says they'll be ready to ask for approval of a Covid-19 vaccine for kids - CNN

"It is a question of days, not weeks," Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla told ABC News Sunday about when the company will submit data on children ages 5 to 11 to the FDA for consideration.

Currently, Covid-19 vaccines are only approved for children 12 and older, which has stirred concern among health experts as cases in children increase, school years begin and the more transmissible Delta variant spreads.

Nearly 26% of all Covid-19 cases nationwide are reported in children, according to recent data published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Less than half of US adolescents are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to a CNN analysis of CDC data.

In response, officials need to do a better job educating the public about the importance of vaccination for the health of their children and their families as a whole, Reiner said.

"I wouldn't be so cavalier about this virus, we know that this virus has long-term consequences in a lot of people who contract it, including children."

Current surge likely to die down by Thanksgiving, Gottlieb says

Gottlieb predicted Sunday the current surge of coronavirus spread is likely to worsen across parts of the country and then die down by Thanksgiving.

"I think you'll see a wave of infection sweep across the Northeast as kids go back to school, the weather turns cold and people move indoors," Gottlieb told CNN's Pamela Brown.

The virus won't be gone, Gottlieb said, but hopefully it will reach more manageable levels -- which he estimates to be about 20,000 cases per day.

"People who choose to go unvaccinated, they're going to be vulnerable to getting infected through this Delta wave."

As the US moves into flu season, Gottlieb said the demand for tests will pick up as people and their doctors try to determine if their flu-like symptoms are due to Covid-19 or influenza.

"That's why it's so important to get diagnostic tests into the hands of consumers and doctors' offices as well, things like where people can test in the home will make a difference between telling between Covid and other respiratory infections, especially as the flu picks up," Gottlieb said.

But even if Covid-19 cases do come down by Thanksgiving, health experts are bracing for a difficult winter ahead.