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Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb predicted Sunday that the agency he helmed will authorize Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for emergency use in children ages 5 to 11 by the end of October. In an interview with "Face the Nation," Gottlieb, who serves on Pfizer's board of directors, said the drug company is expecting to have data on its vaccines in young children before the end of September, which will then be filed with the FDA "very quickly." The agency then has said it will be weeks, rather than months, before determining whether it will authorize the vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11. (Quinn, 9/12)

The FDA attempted to shed light on the rigorous review process behind yet-to-be authorized COVID-19 vaccines among kids under 12 on Friday as young children remain ineligible for vaccines amid the start of school, stoking concerns and frustration among parents, teachers and pediatricians. "The FDA is working around the clock to support the process for making COVID-19 vaccines available for children," the agency wrote in a statement, adding in part, "this process is complex and relies on robust manufacturer trials and data." The FDA noted that children might need different doses or strength formulations than older populations, which adds on work to manufacturers’ clinical trials. (Rivas, 9/11)

Schools have reopened around the country, and families with those under 12 are finding ways to get their kids inoculated, even though they’re not officially eligible yet. (Schoch, 9/11)

In other news about the vaccine rollout —

The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads. More than 655,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.6 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Just 62.7% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Winsor, Shapiro, Pereira, Deliso and Lenthang, 9/12)

Misinformation — especially authoritative-sounding articles posted online and circulated on social media — plays a significant role in keeping many Nevadans from getting vaccinated against COVID-19, according to public health experts. In interviews with the Review-Journal about a dozen unvaccinated residents cited a variety of factors for their decisions not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Almost all fell into one of these six categories: The vaccines hasn’t undergone enough testing and may have side effects that are not yet known.  The shot or shots don’t work because people who are inoculated still get COVID-19... (Dylan, 9/11)

For those who have put off getting vaccinated because they’ve already been infected with the coronavirus, a growing body of evidence suggests vaccination plus natural immunity leads to particularly robust protection, including against variants of the virus. So-called hybrid immunity — that is, natural immunity from an infection combined with the immunity provided by the vaccine — appears to result in stronger protection than just infection or vaccination alone. (Syal, 9/13)

Roving central Colorado with three vans, pop-up tents and folding chairs, public health workers in Jefferson County set out this spring to get coronavirus vaccines to the people who were hardest to reach. They brushed off heckling from passersby who sometimes yelled that covid-19 was a hoax or that the shots were “poison.” But the harassment grew more frequent, said Jefferson County Public Health Executive Director Dawn Comstock. And more threatening. (Knowles, 9/12)

Office politics have been a thing of the past for most of us over the last 18 months, as millions of people worked from home throughout Covid-induced lockdowns. Now, as many employees return to their offices, tensions appear to be emerging along new lines: those who are vaccinated against Covid, and those who are not. (Ellyatt, 9/13)