More than 20% of Illinoisans are fully vaccinated and able to resume some normal activities, but people with young children may be waiting a little bit longer.

None of the authorized vaccine providers in the U.S. are approved for use in people younger than 16, but Pfizer on Friday requested authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for adolescents between 12 and 15.

The trials for younger children, though, have just begun and are still months from such a request. Experts estimate that the vaccines may not be authorized for them until late this year or early 2022.

Though children are at lower risk of contracting COVID-19 infections and becoming seriously ill, they can infect more vulnerable people. They are also essential to reaching herd immunity because some adults cannot or choose not to become vaccinated, doctors say.

And though the proportion of children who die after contracting the virus is a fraction of a percent, more than 250 children under 18 have died of the virus. There have also been more than 3,000 reported cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a serious condition that has mostly impacted children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.