In the ongoing fight against COVID-19, a new line of defense is likely just days away. The Food and Drug Administration authorized the first vaccines for kids under 5 but local doctors are not seeing the urgency from parents we saw earlier in the pandemic.The FDA says the shots are safe and effective for babies and toddlers but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has yet to sign off on it. The FDA authorized emergency use authorization for two COVID-19 vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer, for kids as young as six months old.”Oh, I think it’s wonderful that we have a vaccine available for children now so that those kids can be protected and they can also protect those around them. It will help our herd immunity,” said Dr. Lisa Green, a pediatrician with WinMed Health.She says although to medical professionals this is good news, the urgency to get children under 5 vaccinated should be higher but is not. “I feel like there is less of an urgency for parents to get vaccines right now for their kids, especially COVID vaccines because things are opening up they assume that COVID is over and that we are just done with this, even though COVID is not done with us,” she said.The importance of getting this age group vaccinated is dire as they are left without any other protection.”The kids go to school, they go to day care and getting sick from other kids and COVID is spreading like other colds so they’re getting sick too and some of the kids may get seriously ill,” Green said.Making it a worse situation for children with chronic illnesses. Dr. Grant Paulsen is a sight investigator for the vaccine trials at Children’s Hospital. Explaining to those who are hesitant to get their infants and toddlers vaccinated to think of what could happen without it. “Really, the only treatment option for those young children is an IV infusion that is once a day between three and five days or longer if they are critically ill,” Paulsen said. He said side effects experienced during the trials were expected.”The more systemic side effects that we were seeing more commonly are fatigue, irritability, fussiness, headache occasionally,” Paulsen said.The CDC reports about 75 percent of U.S. kids and teens have already contracted COVID-1,9 but about 440 children under the age of 5 have died.
In the ongoing fight against COVID-19, a new line of defense is likely just days away.
The Food and Drug Administration authorized the first vaccines for kids under 5 but local doctors are not seeing the urgency from parents we saw earlier in the pandemic.
The FDA says the shots are safe and effective for babies and toddlers but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has yet to sign off on it.
The FDA authorized emergency use authorization for two COVID-19 vaccines, Moderna and Pfizer, for kids as young as six months old.
“Oh, I think it’s wonderful that we have a vaccine available for children now so that those kids can be protected and they can also protect those around them. It will help our herd immunity,” said Dr. Lisa Green, a pediatrician with WinMed Health.
She says although to medical professionals this is good news, the urgency to get children under 5 vaccinated should be higher but is not.
“I feel like there is less of an urgency for parents to get vaccines right now for their kids, especially COVID vaccines because things are opening up they assume that COVID is over and that we are just done with this, even though COVID is not done with us,” she said.
The importance of getting this age group vaccinated is dire as they are left without any other protection.
“The kids go to school, they go to day care and getting sick from other kids and COVID is spreading like other colds so they’re getting sick too and some of the kids may get seriously ill,” Green said.
Making it a worse situation for children with chronic illnesses.
Dr. Grant Paulsen is a sight investigator for the vaccine trials at Children’s Hospital.
Explaining to those who are hesitant to get their infants and toddlers vaccinated to think of what could happen without it.
“Really, the only treatment option for those young children is an IV infusion that is once a day between three and five days or longer if they are critically ill,” Paulsen said.
He said side effects experienced during the trials were expected.
“The more systemic side effects that we were seeing more commonly are fatigue, irritability, fussiness, headache occasionally,” Paulsen said.
The CDC reports about 75 percent of U.S. kids and teens have already contracted COVID-1,9 but about 440 children under the age of 5 have died.
