Shot for Tot: COVID vaccination begins for small US children

Little Fletcher Pack woke up on Monday morning and asked, “Is this Vaccine Day?”

For a 3-year-old kid from Lexington, South Carolina, the answer was yes.

The United States is giving infants, toddlers and preschoolers the opportunity to vaccinate COVID-19 this week. Cargo arrived in several locations over the weekend, with Monday appointments in several locations, including Walgreens in South Carolina and another in New York City.

Fletcher’s mother said that once her son was completely vaccinated, he could finally go bowling and visit the nearby children’s museum.

“He has never actually played with other kids,” said Mackenzie Puck. “This will be a really big change for our family.”

She began seeking appointments last week as US regulatory agencies took steps to approve vaccines for children aged 6 months to 5 years.

“It’s just a relief,” Puck said. “With this vaccine, it will be his best shot to get back to normal and have a normal childhood.”

The Food and Drug Administration shed light on Moderna and Pfizer’s child shots on Friday, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended them on Saturday.In the United States, the COVID-19 vaccine was first tested in late 2020 health Certified care workers and the elderly. Last year, teens and school-aged children were added.

Dr. Matthew Harris, a pediatrician in the emergency room of the Northwell Cohen Pediatric Medical Center in New York, said:

Many parents were anxiously waiting for the rollout, and Harris said his own nine-month-old shot was “when is the problem and not?”

Approximately 18 million young people under the age of 5 are eligible.

Dr. Debra Langlois, a pediatrician at the University of Michigan Health CS Mott Children’s Hospital, said:

“We’ve had this pandemic over two years and my 4-year-old kid has never been able to do it,” Langlois said.

The family skipped a trip to Disneyland and the popular vacation island of Michigan. A ferry to McKinac Island means mixing with unmasked passengers.

President Joe Biden reveals health Authorities and pediatricians welcomed the moment. However, they also acknowledged that carrying some parents could be a challenge given the disappointing immunization rates of school-aged children (about 30%).

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association were one of a group of physicians recommending doctors and their families to vaccinate infants.

The CDC recommends vaccination for people who already have COVID-19 to prevent reinfection, and says it’s okay to vaccinate with other vaccines at the same time. For young children, there are Pfizer’s 3-shot series or Moderna’s 2-shot.

Most of Washington Heights in New York is a Latin district, and Dr. Juan Tapia Mendoza’s clinic ordered 300 tot-sized vaccines. He said he needed teaching materials to directly address the false information that spreads among his parents.

His approach would be to tell his parents, “If they were my children, I would vaccinate them.”

“Because the virus is still present. Many people are still dead because of the coronavirus. Children are infected, some children are seriously affected, and everyone becomes very ill. I don’t want to see it. ”

Some hospitals planned vaccination events later this week. Chicago is one of the places that offers COVID-19 shots in people’s homes, and this week we’re planning to start registering reservations for infants and other toddlers’ homes.

Dr. Pam Zeitland, director of pediatric medicine at National Jewish Health in Denver, recommends that parents vaccinate their children as soon as possible.

“Some parents are afraid that younger children may be more vulnerable to the side effects of the vaccine,” Zeitland said, but Pfizer and Moderna’s studies do not. Side effects were similar to those seen with other pediatric vaccines — fever, irritability, and malaise.

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Contributed by AP Medical Writer Carla K. Johnson.

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The Associated Press’s Department of Health Sciences is supported by the Science Education Department of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. AP is solely responsible for all content.