The Perfect Enemy | Fewer than 400 young kids get COVID-19 vaccine in Polk County

Local families in central Iowa have shown initial hesitation to vaccinate their young kids from COVID-19.

Driving the news: Only 334 kids under 5 years old have been vaccinated for COVID-19 in Polk County as of June 28, according to the local health department.

In Polk County, about 34,212 children — 7% of our total population — are under 5.

State of play: The CDC cleared the way on June 18 for kids 6 months to 4 years old to get COVID-19 vaccines — the last age group to get approved.

Since then, healthcare providers have been administering lower-doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for young kids, but to tepid response.

A national April poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit focused on health issues, showed less than 20% of parents were eager about vaccinating their kids under 5, while the majority, 38%, wanted to wait and see how it works on others.

Zoom in: Parents in central Iowa are mirroring the rest of the U.S. and are feeling some anxiety about immediately vaccinating their young kids, said Joel Waddell, a pediatric infectious disease doctor at UnityPoint.

Yes, but: There are a lot of reasons to vaccinate kids now, rather than wait and see, Waddell said.

It takes two months after Moderna and three months after Pfizer for young kids to have protection, he said.
Clinical trials already did the work of “waiting and seeing” the vaccine reactions, he said.
While kids who contract COVID-19 suffer severe symptoms less often than adults, it’s still one of the top five causes of death in kids over the age of 5 according to KFF. Even if your kid seems healthy, 50% of children who are hospitalized between the ages of 0-4 years old come in with zero underlying conditions.

The bottom line: Waddell expects COVID-19 rates to rise come fall and winter — which coincides with kids returning to school. If you have any hesitancy or questions about vaccinating your young kids, contact their pediatrician.