Fewer than 400 young kids get COVID-19 vaccine in Polk County | By The Perfect Enemy

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Local families in central Iowa have shown initial hesitation to vaccinate their young kids from COVID-19.


Driving the news: Only 334 kids under 5 years old have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in Polk County as of June 28, according to the local health department.



  • In Polk County, about 34,212 children — 7% of our total population — are under 5.


State of play: The CDC cleared the way on June 18 for kids 6 months to 4 years old to get COVID-19 vaccines — the last age group to get approved.


Since then, healthcare providers have been administering lower-doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for young kids, but to tepid response.



  • A national April poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit focused on health issues, showed less than 20% of parents were eager about vaccinating their kids under 5, while the majority, 38%, wanted to wait and see how it works on others.


Zoom in: Parents in central Iowa are mirroring the rest of the U.S. and are feeling some anxiety about immediately vaccinating their young kids, said Joel Waddell, a pediatric infectious disease doctor at UnityPoint.


Yes, but: There are a lot of reasons to vaccinate kids now, rather than wait and see, Waddell said.



  • It takes two months after Moderna and three months after Pfizer for young kids to have protection, he said.

  • Clinical trials already did the work of “waiting and seeing” the vaccine reactions, he said.

  • While kids who contract COVID-19 suffer severe symptoms less often than adults, it’s still one of the top five causes of death in kids over the age of 5 according to KFF. Even if your kid seems healthy, 50% of children who are hospitalized between the ages of 0-4 years old come in with zero underlying conditions.


The bottom line: Waddell expects COVID-19 rates to rise come fall and winter — which coincides with kids returning to school. If you have any hesitancy or questions about vaccinating your young kids, contact their pediatrician.



  • You can find a COVID-19 vaccine for your kid here.




#Vaccines
Published on The Perfect Enemy at https://bit.ly/3bGaAL9.

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