JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Maggie and John Wood made an appointment to have their 3-year-old son vaccinated against COVID-19 on Saturday.
The COVID-19 vaccine, which is now available to toddlers at multiple local pharmacies, was deemed safe for children under the age of 5 but older than 6 months by the Federal Drug Administration.
“The wait was because they weren’t seeing the antibody response that they were hoping to,” the couple said. “…If they don’t have the result they needed to protect our kiddos, then you have to wait and make sure that they do.”
The Woods’ almost-7-year-old daughter received the shot as soon it became available to that age group, the Woods said.
“She just rolled through it like it was nothing, which I think speaks to the dosing — that they’re being super careful about dosing with kiddos, which they absolutely should be,” the Woods said. “She got it as soon as it was available and did great with it, and she’s been in school and been in camp, and it’s wonderful to see her be able to thrive and do all those things that we knew that she was missing. So, [we are] really grateful we’re able to get our youngest scheduled.”
They trust the science behind the COVID-19 vaccine and have seen its effectiveness.
“We’re super grateful there’s a vaccine that works, and the adult one worked, the younger ages worked, the teenagers and then 5 and up or 6 and up,” they said. “We were super grateful that that was available and effective. And yes — a little bit longer of a wait but hoping for and trusting that that same efficacy is present in this one.”
And like the health experts who worked hard to develop a correct dosage for young children, the Woods remain cautious with all their little ones stay involved in as cases continue to rise again.
“Aside from school for him, aside from pre-school, we keep it pretty close to home in terms of any sort of indoor thing just because, you know, it seems still so unpredictable,” they said.
News Channel 11 compiled a list of pharmacies that offer the COVID-19 shot to those below 5 years old. That list is available here.
