With Mask Mandates Ending, Health Officials urge getting Kids vaccinated against Covid-19

As Fox News reported, many mask mandates are closer to expiring and many area school districts are making their own decisions on mask policies, but health officials say the COVID-19 vaccine is still the best bet for parents hoping to protect their kids.

However, UW Health says it has seen a decrease in COVID-19 vaccinations being scheduled for kids between the ages of 5 and 11. When the Pfizer vaccine first got emergency authorization for that age group, UW Health says it was giving out 850 doses in one week. Now, that number has dropped to 81 appointments scheduled for this week.

This is concerning for many medical experts. On “CNN Newsroom,” Dr. Leana Wen cautioned, “Life has now become less safe for those who are most vulnerable, including younger children, including those who are immunocompromised because if they’re now going to be surrounded by people who are maybe unvaccinated but also unmasked, they could be more exposed than before.”

“Lifting a government-imposed mask mandate doesn’t mean it’s suddenly safe,” Wen said, adding people should choose to take additional precautions. Sixty-four percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated.

An article from the Mayo Clinic published in late January says that despite being as likely as adults to get COVID-19, children are also “less likely to become severely ill.” But they also note that in some cases, children do become hospitalized and need treatment. The article also notes that the risk of severe infection increases with certain medical conditions such as, obesity, asthma and diabetes.

A Harvard Health Publishing article from January says, “Children, including very young children, can develop COVID-19. Many of them have no symptoms. Those that do get sick tend to experience milder symptoms such as low-grade fever, fatigue, and cough. Some children have had severe complications, but this has been less common. Children with underlying health conditions may be at increased risk for severe illness. ”

Ninety-nine percent of children who have been hospitalized for the disease were not fully vaccinated, the Daily News reported. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends children over the age of five get vaccinated, and the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for kids between the ages of 5-11 years-old.

Dr. Jim Conway of UW Health says some parents may still be reluctant to have their kids vaccinated. “We have to remind parents that this vaccine is thoroughly tested, safe and effective for kids this age,” he said. “It’s understandable that some parents might have been feeling very cautious initially, but with the real-world evidence mounting that the omicron variant and the BA.2 subvariant are continuing to spread, these still-vulnerable patients should be vaccinated.”

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