BEAUMONT, Texas — Elementary-aged children have been able to start getting the COVID-19 vaccine in the last 24 hours.
Parents across the country, including right here in Southeast Texas, have wasted no time booking appointments to get their kids the shot.
One Beaumont pediatrician has already taken her son to get vaccinated. She said her son was excited to roll up his sleeve.
Dr. Ramona Ataya-Dakour said her son, like many children, is tired of wearing a mask and eager to get back to some sense of normalcy. So, she wasted no time in getting him vaccinated.
"Everybody there was so excited,” Ataya-Dakour said. “Kids were excited. Parents were excited. It was a really nice moment."
Ataya-Dakour said usually when children go to get shots, they’re nervous and anxious. But this time, her son was excited.
Wednesday she took her son to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston to get vaccinated.
"My son hasn't had any issues,” Ataya-Dakour said. “We keep asking him if any pain, anything? And he feels great."
Ataya-Dakour said her son hasn't had any major reactions to the shot.
While she didn't think twice about getting him vaccinated once eligible there are still parents who are hesitant for various reasons.
We took some of your questions to the health experts.
One parent asked, “What if my son is anaphylactic to eggs and has peanut allergies? Is the vaccine safe for allergy kiddos?"
Dr. Mark Casanova with Baylor Scott and white health had this to say.
"Yes, the Pfizer vaccine that's approved for kiddos is safe for those who carry an allergy for eggs and peanuts it's not based in either of those products. It's safe for them to get the vaccine,” Casanova said.
Another parent whose child is 11 years old and weighs more than 200 pounds wanted to know if her kid should get the child's shot or adult shot?
"So, vaccines aren't typically based on size and weight,” Casanova said. “We base them off age cutoffs. Kiddos who are larger should still receive the pediatric vaccine no different than an adult who might be on the smaller side would still receive the full dose adult vaccine."
Ataya-Dakour is also answering parents’ questions. She said while fewer children have been sick with COVID-19 compared to adults, children can be infected and it can get pretty serious.
"Over 700 kids have passed away from COVID-19 in the U.S.,” Ataya-Dakour said. “Tens of thousands of children have been admitted to the hospital. It's affected children in more ways than we know."
Ataya-Dakour said the Pfizer vaccine is over 90% effective in kids ages 5 to 11.
And of the children who have been vaccinated so far, she hasn't heard of any with serious side effects.