COVID-19 shots for babies and young children were granted Emergency Use Authorization last week, but this week’s low turnout at vaccine centers in New York City and around the country shows parents are not convinced their kids need the vaccine.
The response to the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines for babies and young children has been tepid, said political commentator Kim Iversen of The Hill’s “Rising” on Thursday.
A push to vaccinate children 6 months to 5 years old began early this week, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 17 granted Emergency Use Authorization for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months through 17 years, and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children 6 months through 4 years.
In a June 17 news release, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf said, “Many parents, caregivers and clinicians have been waiting for a vaccine for younger children and this action will help protect those down to 6 months of age.”
But maybe not, said Iversen.
“There’s a problem,” Iversen said. “Parents don’t seem to want it. News outlets across the country have been reporting about low turnout and empty centers.”
While this might be expected in certain parts of the country, such as red states and especially Florida — where Gov. Ron DeSantis did not order any shots for this age group — “this was even happening in New York City at a high-profile center set up in Times Square,” Iversen said: