TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Very young children have been the last group without a vaccine for COVID-19. Now Pfizer is reporting a vaccine for ages 6 months to 5 years may be ready by the end of the month.
Pediatrician Doctor Sandra Herron of Tanque Verde Pediatrics says the Omicron variant has spread among children easier than earlier versions of COVID because Omicron concentrates in the nose and throat.
“If you've been around a toddler and a preschooler, you know that they touch things and then they touch their mouth and they sneeze out into the world. They are constantly drooling and eating things and touching things and touching their faces.”
She says on the idea of vaccinating their toddlers, parents she sees range from eager to skeptical.
“We have parents who have been waiting, waiting to put their kids in daycare, waiting to reenter storytime at the library or go out to the mall or have playdates because their kids are largely unprotected because they couldn't get the vaccine. We have other parents who feel like it's not a necessary thing for their children.”
Doctor Herron says trials going since May showed the vaccine is safe for kids aged 6 months to 5 years. The latest work is to determine the ideal dose for the best immunity.
She says she knows some parents may be skeptical of the vaccine but she has enough confidence to give the vaccine for toddlers to some of her youngest patients as soon as it’s available.
“I've done it for my own children. I would never recommend something different for other people's children.”
Doctor Herron says vaccinations are a large part of what pediatricians do and those vaccines have prevented plenty of deaths. She says in this case people will pull together for the common good, and vaccinate to help suppress the spread of COVID.
