(KERO) — Children ages 6 months to 5 years old can now get a COVID vaccination and more than a million doses are being shipped across the country. But the question is how many parents will get their kids vaccinated?
The vaccines were given the green light by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the Moderna vaccine requiring two doses and the Pfizer and Bio-n-Tech requiring three.
"It's three shots to make sure that they have the whole protection. It does mean that they have to come back a couple of times but it's just like other childhood vaccines," explained Dr. Pia Pannaraj, an infectious diseases specialist with Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
"On top of fulfilling my responsibility as a parent to keep my child safe and healthy. I am also getting peace of mind knowing this vaccine works," added Xavier Becerra, the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
However, most parents do not appear to be enthusiastic about getting their children vaccinated.
A poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 18% of parents of children under age 5 plan to get their kids vaccinated “right away.” A plurality, 38%, said they will “wait and see.” The poll found that 11% of parents would only vaccinate their children if it was required, and 27% said they would “definitely not” vaccinate their children.
The survey consisted of 1,899 adults conducted from April 12-26.
About 17 million kids under 5 years old are now authorized to get vaccinated in the United States.
Meanwhile in Kern County, the latest update from Kern Public Health shows there have been 1,227 new infections since last Friday, along with one more death. The death total in the county now stands at 2,457.
