The Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and others urge parents to have children ages 12 and up to be vaccinated for COVID. Since the CDC’s approval to have 12- to 15-year-old vaccinated last week, Governor Edwards said more than five thousand in that age range have received one shot of the Pfizer vaccine in Louisiana.
“That’s a pretty good start considering the bad weather that we’ve had but clearly we need more individuals to be vaccinated regardless of their age,” said Edwards.
Edwards said he was considering possible incentives to get more Louisianans vaccinated. To date, only 30% of the state’s eligible population is fully vaccinated.
While children are less likely to contract COVID compared to adults they are still suspectable for the virus, Our Lady of the Lake Pediatric Immunologist Dr. Theron McCormick said in the U-S of the 3.9-million children who have had COVID, 300 have died as a result.
“Another saddening component about that is about 75% of those children who have died were children of color, and that’s a big deal,” said McCormick.
State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter and McCormick encouraged parents to speak with their pediatrician if they have any questions about the vaccine for their child. McCormick said children might experience side effects from the vaccine, like the ones they have when being immunized, low-grade fever, and tiredness.
“When I’m talking about children, I mean 12 to 15 years of age, had the same amount of side effects, if any, as it was seen in 16 to 25 and older individuals who participated in the trials,” said McCormick.
McCormick said trials indicate the Pfizer vaccine is 100-percent effective for ages 12 to 15. You can call the Vaccine Hotline at 1-855-453-0774 to make an appointment and/or to answer questions about the vaccine.
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