Pediatrician on COVID-19 vaccines and back-to-school – WCVB Boston

Pediatrician on COVID-19 vaccines and back-to-school

Updated: 5:29 PM EDT Jul 28, 2022

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>> BELIEVE IT OR NOT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE HERE BEFORE WE KNOW IT. AND A NEW ANALYSIS SHOWS MANY KIDS ARE STILL NOT PROTECTED AGAINST COVID 19. >> HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. KRISTIN MOFFITT, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASES EXPERT AT BOSTON CHILDRENS HOSPITAL. DR. MOFFITT, THANKS FOR BEING HERE. CNN LOOKED AT THE DATA AND FOUND THAT LESS THAN HALF OF CHILDREN AND TEENS ARE FULLY VACCINATED NATIONWIDE AND ONLY A TENTH HAVE BEEN BOOSTED. EVEN WHERE STATES LIKE MASSACHUSETTS 80% GENERALLY HAVE IT BUT NOT AND THAT AGE BRACKET. DOES THIS SURPRISE YOU? >> ITS NOT SURPRISING THAT THE VACCINE UPTAKE RATES ARE HIGHER THAN HIGH SCHOOL -- HIGHER IN HIGH SCHOOL THEN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. MUCH OF THIS IS DUE TO THE PERCEPTION THAT IF YOU HAVE BEEN INFECTED BY COVID AND YOU HAVE HAD THE PRIMARY VACCINES, THAT YOU DONT NEED A BOOSTER. WE KNOW THAT BOOSTERS ARE SAFE AND THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED AND THEY ENHANCE OUR PROTECTION. THEY WILL DO EVEN MORE TO PROTECT US AGAINST SEVERE INFECTION, SO KIDS SHOULD GET BOOSTED IF THEY ARE ELIGIBLE. >> MASSACHUSETTS HAS CONSISTENTLY HAD A HIGHER VACCINATION RATE OVERALL. BUT, ANECDOTALLY, WE UNDERSTAND THERE HASNT BEEN HUGE DEMAND FOR VACCINATIONS FOR THE YOUNGEST KIDS. IS THAT WHAT YOURE SEEING? >> UNFORTUNATELY, YES. MASSACHUSETTS IS ONLY VACCINATED 10% OF CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF FIVE. THAT PUTS MASSACHUSETTS IN THE THIRD HIGHEST RANK FOR VACCINATION RATES IN THIS AGE ONLY BEHIND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AND VERMONT BUT THAT IS A LOW PERCENTAGE ESPECIALLY FOR THESE VACCINES HAVING BEEN AVAILABLE FOR 90 DAYS NOW. >> IF PARENTS ARE STILL ON THE FENCE ABOUT GETTING YOUNG KIDS THAT FIRST DOSE, WHAT DO YOU WANT THEM TO KNOW? >> I WOULD WANT PARENTS TO KNOW THAT WE KNOW THAT THESE VACCINES WILL HELP ATTACKED YOUNG CHILDREN AGAINST SEVERE INFECTION AND HOSPITALIZATION FROM COVID-19. WHILE ITS TRUE THAT PEDIATRIC HOSPITALIZATIONS ARE LESS LIKELY THAN FOR ADULTS, BUT THEY DO HAPPEN. THE RATES HAVE BEEN RISING BECAUSE OF SO MUCH TRANSMISSION RIGHT NOW. PEDIATRIC RATES FOR HOSPITALIZATION ARE HIGHER FOR KIDS UNDER FIVE AND KIDS OF OTHER AGES AND WE KNOW THIS CAN BE PREVENTED BY VACCINATION. >> FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, WHATS THE BEST PLAN OF ATTACK RIGHT NOW FOR GIVING KIDS THE BEST PROTECTION ONCE SCHOOL STARTS? >> FOR KIDS WHO HAVE NOT STARTED OR COMPLETED THE PRIMARY SERIES, GET IT STARTED, GET IT COMPLETED . IF YOUR CHILD IS OLD ENOUGH TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A BOOSTER, GET THE BOOSTER. BEING IS IMMUNIZED AS POSSIBLE IS STILL VERY EFFECTIVE AT PREVENTING SEVERE INFECTION REGARDLESS OF THE VARIANT CIRCULATING. WE DONT KNOW WHERE WERE GOING TO BE IN ONE MONTH WHEN THE SCHOOL DOORS OPEN. >> DR. MOFFITT, THANK YOU. AND TO OUR VIEWERS IF YOU HAVE YOUD LIKE OUR EXPERTS TO ANSWER EMAIL THEM TO ASK AT WCVB.CO

Pediatrician on COVID-19 vaccines and back-to-school

Updated: 5:29 PM EDT Jul 28, 2022

Kristin Moffitt, an infectious disease specialist with Boston Children's Hospital, talks about COVID-19 vaccines as kids prepare to go back to school.

Kristin Moffitt, an infectious disease specialist with Boston Children's Hospital, talks about COVID-19 vaccines as kids prepare to go back to school.

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Pediatrician on COVID-19 vaccines and back-to-school - WCVB Boston