(Anderson) Herald Bulletin
Dr. Sarah Schaffer DeRoo was among the first in line to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine for her 7-month-old son.
The child cried for a moment after receiving his shot, but his attention quickly turned to the hospital’s comfort dog, a golden retriever.
DeRoo, a pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC, considers herself something of an evangelist for the vaccines.
She knows a number of parents who will join her in getting their youngsters vaccinated, but she also knows there are a lot of parents feeling more hesitant.
“And so I consider it my job to do my best to show them what are the benefits versus risks of the vaccine for them,” she told CNN.
A survey in April found 18% of parents saying they would vaccinate their young children right away, while 27% said they definitely wouldn’t and 38% said they’d wait and see.
DeRoo said knowing her youngest son had started his COVID-19 vaccine series would allow her family to feel more comfortable in going about their lives.
“It will certainly allow us to have more freedom with our personal lives and what we do,” she said. “And for the baby, we’ll feel like we have cloaked
him in as much protection as we can.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has authorized vaccines for any child at least 6 months old. That means about 17 million kids under the age of 5 are now eligible for the vaccines.
Parents will have a choice between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The Moderna vaccine requires two doses. The Pfizer vaccine requires three.
Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, is the mother of two children under the age of 5.
In an interview with CNN, she described both vaccines as safe and effective. The three-dose Pfizer vaccine might be more effective at avoiding symptoms, but the Moderna vaccine requires one less dose to achieve full protection.
“If a child starts the series next week,” Wen said, “they could be fully vaccinated by mid-August and in time for the next school year.”
Experts say children should be vaccinated even if they already had COVID-19.
“Vaccination after recovery from infection provides more durable and longer-lasting protection than recovery alone,” Wen said.
For parents still having doubts, Wen recommends talking to your child’s pediatrician.
The fact is the coronavirus is still out there. Indiana recorded nearly 2,700 new cases on Monday. The seven-day average is about 1,100 cases a day.
The numbers are far lower than they were even last winter, but people are still contracting this virus. People are still dying.
Protect your family. Get your children vaccinated.
