Pharmacies in Alabama are wasting no time in providing COVID-19 vaccinations for children. CVS Health says fifty one of its stores in the state are accepting appointments for kids aged five to eleven years old. The Centers for Disease Control this week approved vaccinations for youngsters this week. Doctor David Kimberlin studies infectious diseases among children at UAB. He says parents have every reason to vaccinate their kids.
“Right now, for five to eleven year olds, COVID is the eighth largest cause of death in children,” Kimberlin contends. “So, this is something, where parents can say ‘this is unlikely this is going to happen to my child,’ you they’re right, it is unlikely, but it’s not impossible.”
The CDC approved vaccinating children with the product produced by Pfizer/BioNtech. That means up to twenty eight million youngsters are eligible for shots. President Biden calls the CDC decision a “turning Point” in the fight against COVID-19. Kimberlin says the CDC data supporting childhood vaccinations is strong.
“If that’s the case, then we have a strong reason to believe, that this vaccine will save lives in the five to eleven year old age group,” said Kimberlin. “More than five hundred children have died during the course of this pandemic from COVID disease.”
Alabama’s overall vaccination rate remains at just over forty percent. That’s reportedly the lowest among southern states.
