Kentucky pediatricians prep for vaccine rollout for children younger than age 5
Parents of children younger than 5 years old will have to wait a little bit longer to get their children vaccinated against COVID-19 as the U.S. Food and Drug and Administration waits for more data from Pfizer-BioNTech.
Still, the delay isn’t deterring UK HealthCare from gearing up in anticipation of a mass vaccination clinic for children between 6 months and 4 years once the shot is approved for that age group.
“I feel for the parents of young kids,” said Dr. Lindsay Ragsdale, the interim chief medical officer at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital. “I get their disappointment that this is not out sooner.”
What’s holding up approval for the COVID-19 vaccine for children under age 5?
It’s worth underscoring the delay is not about the safety of the vaccine for children 6 months to 4 years old.
According to NBC, Pfizer officials recently said the company wants to wait for data on a three-dose series of the vaccine because it believes three doses “may provide a higher level of protection in this age group” than a two-dose series.
The data on the third dose isn’t expected until April at the earliest, the company said.
Ragsdale empathizes with worried parents.
However, to maintain the public’s trust in the vaccine, it’s vital to ensure its effectiveness for this age group, she said. How big the dose should be, how many doses are needed and how far apart they should be administered are all still open questions.
Children generally have a lower risk of developing severe COVID-19, but it does happen. Right now, even though there are risk factors like obesity or diabetes, there’s not really a precise way of determining which kids will have mild symptoms and which will need more advanced care, such as respirators.
There’s also the possibility infected children could get long COVID, which studies suggest affects children with the same wide and disturbing range of symptoms as adults, from heart palpitations and “brain fog” to breathing issues and painful rashes.
“This is really part of how we take care of childhood illness, is trying to prevent illness,” Ragsdale said.
How are Kentucky health care providers preparing?
According to Kentucky’s vaccination data dashboard, 40% of Fayette County 5- to 11-year-olds have received their first dose of the vaccine. Across the state, individuals between 10 and 19 years old are among the age groups with the most cases, reporting 176,817 cases as of Monday. For children 9 years old and younger, there have been 105,788 reported cases, according to the dashboard.
Fayette County in general ranks among the top five counties in Kentucky for percentage of residents receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.
Dr. Elizabeth Hawse of Commonwealth Pediatrics said parents have been anxious to get the vaccine for their young children, so much so her office has created a wait list.
“We’ve had a great deal of interest in it, and quite a few parents who are disappointed because they’ve waited for so long,” Hawse told the Herald-Leader. “Hopefully it’s just going to be a little bit longer.”
“Our call center has received some calls about it,” Lexington-Fayette County Health Department spokesman Kevin Hall noted of the community’s interest in the vaccines for children under age 5.
“Most caregivers are likely waiting until the final approval. We anticipate to see calls increase then. Once we have the guidance from federal and state officials, we will provide the vaccine for ages 6 months and older for free in our clinic, same as we’ve done with previous age groups,” Hall wrote in an email.
UK HealthCare has vaccinated more than 5,000 children aged 5 and older, Ragsdale said.
Through its mass vaccination clinic, health care providers try to make getting the coronavirus vaccine fun and non-threatening for children by explaining it in terms they can understand, Ragsdale said. They are given treasure maps to follow as they move through the clinic and can win prizes to take home.
Ragsdale said those same approaches will be used at UK HealthCare clinics once the coronavirus vaccine is approved and ready to go for kids between 6 months and 4 years old.
The pediatric vaccination clinic is located at 245 Fountain Court, off of Man O’ War Boulevard, and parents can request appointments online at ukvaccine.org, Ragsdale said.
As for parents who are still on the fence or have concerns about vaccinating their children against COVID-19, Ragsdale encourages asking a primary care physician about it.
“What I’ve seen is parents coming in asking good questions,” Ragsdale said. “There’s great safeguards to make sure that vaccines are safe and effective.”