Credit: Spectrum News
11/4/21 Children's COVID Vaccine Update 1:00pm: The CDC has approved the COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 to 11. We have opened scheduling for the low-dose vaccine at ARC Pediatrics locations. You can schedule at MyChartARC.com or call 866-453-4525. While we have pre-ordered sufficient vaccine for our pediatric patients we currently have limited availability of appointments. We will continue to add more slots as vaccine continues to arrive. Thank you for your understanding. Refer to our patient forms page if you need guidance on how to get proxy access to your child's MyChart account.
Elizabeth C. Knapp, MD, Pediatrics, at ARC Far West recently shared her thoughts about vaccinating this age group in an interview with Spectrum News.
"All of my pediatric patients are asking ‘when we can get protection for our children?'," says Dr. Knapp. "We have had protection for adults now for some months and we are all anxious to start protecting our children as well. We all want to get back to life as usual."
What does the COVID vaccination of children mean for parents and children?
"Just like we've seen with the adult population we still want people to wear their mask to keep the most vulnerable safe - the people who have diabetes or other chronic health conditions," says Dr. Knapp. "But being able to be vaccinated could mean they could return to sports with less worry of getting sick especially those in close contact sports like football and basketball." She adds, "And we know that one they're vaccinated travel is much safer to go visit their family over the holidays."
What about parents who are on the fence, hesitant, or unwilling to get their kids vaccinated?
"I think a lot of the hesitancy comes from worrying about the side effects of the vaccine," says Dr. Knapp. "But we know this vaccine is really safe." She adds, "This vaccine has been shown time and again, well-studied in millions of people, to be safe."
Protecting the most vulnerable among us
"Even though most children have a mild sickness, there are some that do have very severe illness or even death," summarizes Dr. Knapp. "We really owe it to our most vulnerable to protect them and the more we are all protected the more that we can keep them safe."
Schedule an appointment today
Currently, vaccines are only available to children 12 and older. If you have an eligible child, schedule a vaccine at ARC at ARCCovidVaccine.com. If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Knapp, call ARC Far West at 512-346-6611 or book online.