Although many parents are thankful to finally have a vaccine, others still feel disappointed. Here are some facts about COVID vaccines and how they work for babies.
After a delay of four months that left parents worried, COVID-19 vaccines are now available just in time for the start of the school year.
However, even though they are all excited and filled with gratitude, caregivers still feel disappointed at the way it all ended.
Kathleen Coda, the mother of 2 children below 5 years of age, said that she is excited about getting her kids vaccinated and was planning to do so as soon as possible. She added, that it feels like the universe has been opened up and I feel less resentful at all the people who decided to go forward and not follow precautionary measures before our children could be safe.
The green light for parents in the USA to vaccinate their children meant that they won’t have to rely on anyone else for their safety.
Gretchen, a mother of 1-year-old twins, said, that for so many years she had just had to accept calculated risks and make decisions about their social lives, with whom quality time could be spent and how they can be social. She preferred to keep her first name private. “At least now, I can vaccinate and have that protection to them that isn’t dependent upon anyone else,” Gretchen told BuzzFeed News by email.
Vaccine rollout begins with shaky initial steps
Dr. Ashish Jha is the White House COVID response coordinator. He says that vaccines for children under five years old will not look the same as for older children.
Jha tweeted that other locations, such as doctors’ offices, pharmacies, pharmacies and children’s hospitals, will be used to administer the majority of jabs instead of mass-vaccination sites.
“We want a system that is responsive and available to parents’ wants and needs,” he stated. He also said that as first orders are received by the sites, last week, we will see more vaccines and appointments become available.
But caregivers are starting to run into problems, a sign they claim is a sign of poor planning by the government.
Lauren Thompson shared with us that she called Virginia’s local health department last week in order to determine if the county has vaccines available for children under 5. She was informed that they are “waiting for demand” before ordering the shots. Thompson’s pediatrician told Thompson that although they are interested in the vaccine, they won’t be able to order it until it becomes available.
“It was very distressing to have to call so many places to ask about their distribution plans. Thompson shared this email: “We’ve known for a long time about this and it’s obvious there’s no plan for families like ours.” “Families that have littles have been neglected and this has not been any different.”
Thompson claimed she is trying to get her 3-year-old vaccinated before pre-K begins this school year. While she was able to secure a Walgreens appointment for her vaccines, she stated that she would have traveled to a neighboring country to verify it was offering the vaccines at a government-run center — something Thompson acknowledges is not possible for everyone.
She stated, “I am grateful that I have access to PTO as well as a vehicle to make the trip there,” “Why didn’t there seem to be a solid distribution strategy?” Why is everything so uneven?”
Officials from the government stated during a June 8 press conference that around 85% of children younger than 5 live within 5 miles of potential vaccination sites.
On vaccines.gov, you can search for nearby providers who stock vaccines.
Experts encourage vaccination as coronavirus evolves
The latest CDC data indicates that more than 2.5 million children younger than 5 have contracted COVID since 2001.
COVID is now the fourth leading cause of death for babies and the fifth for children aged between 1 and 4. As per death certificates as of May 11, more than 200 children from this age group died of the disease.
