Covid-19 vaccinations are now available for children ages 5-11, and we are recommending that parents take advantage of the shots to protect their little ones from this disease that has killed some 780,000 people in the United States alone and continues to kill more than 1,000 people each day.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pfizer vaccine for children is more than 90% effective in preventing covid-19 and helps keep children from getting seriously ill if they do get the virus.
There are still many people who think they are smarter than covid-19 and that getting the vaccine is to be avoided. And it is unfortunate that that same attitude exists in terms of getting children vaccinated.
A doctor in Monticello said a few months ago that her patients fall into three categories: those eager to get vaccinated; those who will never get the vaccine; and those who aren’t convinced about getting or not getting the vaccine.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The same appears to be true today for the parents of children.
According to a survey done by the Kaiser Family Foundation, three in 10 parents said they will definitely not get their 5- to 11-year-old children vaccinated.
Five percent said they would get the shots for their children if required to do so. Thirty-three percent said they would take a wait-and-see approach.
And only 27% of parents said they would get the vaccine for their children right away.
In Arkansas, where the infection rate has been dropping, parents may become even less compelled to rush out to get their children vaccinated. But if there’s one thing we have all learned from covid it’s that predicting where it is headed is impossible. Just when we think it’s waning, here it comes again.
In many places, both here in the United States and elsewhere in the world, that is what appears to be happening. Cases were falling, but now they are on the rise again. Is it another spike? Will the fact that many people are vaccinated slow its spread or potency? People who have had the vaccine can test positive for the virus and spread it, even if the protection of the vaccine keeps them from getting seriously ill.
The headline on a story on the CNBC site said: “After weeks of declines, U.S. Covid cases have stalled at a high level: ‘The ERs are packed.'”
Locally, the health department has the pediatric version of the vaccine, and other entities, such as Jefferson Regional and Doctor’s Orders Pharmacy, have the vaccine or will have it soon. Permission slips are going home from schools to parents in order for the children to be able to get the vaccine during clinics held at their schools.
The vaccine’s record is extraordinarily positive for adults, both older and younger, and now the shot is available for the children, who are being given lighter doses than the one aimed at adults. We urge parents to act now to protect their children.
Vaccinations are nothing new. Everyone gets them before starting school. The evidence is clear on the vaccinations for covid: they protect us, almost completely, from becoming seriously ill and dying. The same is true for children. Giving them the vaccine is the responsible thing to do.