Shots for tots: COVID-19 vaccinations start for DMV kids under 5
WASHINGTON (7News) — Children under five are finally eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended Saturday that children six months to five years old should receive either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccine.
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Tuesday morning, kids at the Children's National Hospital Research Campus in D.C. began their vaccinations.
American parents and pediatricians say this is a long time coming. Officials say roughly 18 million kids will be eligible.
7News spoke to parents who took their kids to get the vaccine.
"I want him to be in school for all kinds of learning and I think it's really important that they are safe," Eunkyoung Kim, a mother said. "It's finally nice that today came."
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Pfizer’s vaccine is for six months through four years. The dose is one-tenth of the adult dose, and three shots are needed. The first two are given three weeks apart, and the last at least two months later.
Moderna’s is two shots, each a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart for kids six months through five. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also approved a third dose, at least a month after the second shot, for kids with immune conditions that make them more vulnerable to serious illness.
"Parents are thrilled to have the opportunity to protect their young children. There are certainly mixed emotions. There are families who aren't eager to vaccinate their children and there are a number of reasons for that, but I would say, for the most part, parents of children under five are ecstatic to have this opportunity," said Dr. Sarah Schaffer Deroo, a pediatrician at Children's National Hospital.
