56 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • DECEMBER 2021
PARENTING TIPS
COVID VACCINE
WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW
BY MARK HALLUM
Now that the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention has approved
the pediatric Covid-19 vaccine for kids
ages 5 to 11, parents with kids in this age
group are asking, now what?
For some, the decision to vaccinate elementary
school-age children is perhaps
a quick “yes” and, for others, maybe it
is a more complicated decision.
Here is what we know so far.
What is the American Academy of Pediatrics
saying regarding the Covid-19
shot for kids ages 5 -11? The AAP stated
that it recommends that children of
this age receive the vaccination. The
AAFP (American Academy of Family
Physicians) also voiced that it strongly
supports vaccination in all eligible children
as authorized by the FDA.
What about our schools and the vaccine
for this age group?
Desiree Mohammadi celebrates after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech
Covid-19 vaccine at Cohen Children›s Medical Center as vaccines were
approved for children aged 5-11, amid the coronavirus disease pandemic, in
New Hyde Park, on Nov. 4. (Andrew Kelly/REUTERS)
For now, the Covid-19 vaccine, once approved
for use in younger children, will
be made available on a voluntary basis
— with all parents strongly encouraged
to get their children vaccinated, amNew
York Metro reported. But Gov. Kathy
Hochul did not rule out potentially
mandating use of the vaccine among
children if usage is low and Covid-19
cases begin to spike.
“As I’ve said all along, I want to empower
parents and the schools to do the right
thing fi rst,” she said. “But if we’re not
seeing adequate compliance, or we’re
seeing the numbers start going up … if
I start seeing infection rates going up,
hospitalizations going up, more children
being aff ected, I will have no choice. But
right now, the numbers are good, you
can get the kids voluntarily vaccinated,
parents will hopefully do the right thing
and I will keep an eye on that situation.”
What are doctors in the community
doing for this age group concerning
the Covid-19 vaccine? The CDC’s Pediatric
Vaccination Implementation Goals
aim to ensure access and availability
to kids in schools and hospitals and
establish programs in vulnerable and
underserved populations.
This story fi rst appeared in New York
Family.
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