The shots are going into arms. The first shipment of vaccine was received on Monday, Juneteenth, and it was ordered as soon as possible. At lunchtime, they began to receive the vaccine. The American Academy of Pediatrics has had a lot of demand. Patients in other practices have called us asking if their doctors have any Covid vaccine for this age group.
It's possible that availability varies. It is possible that practices and hospitals won't invest in freezer space or staff time if they don't expect much interest. Since its earliest days, Covid vaccine has been hampered by a bureaucratic hurdle. This vaccine is distributed by the federal government and not by a commercial distributor. To get it, health care providers have to submit paperwork. Even if they participate in Vaccines for Children, which guarantees shots for families without private health insurance, that is still true.
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials says that participation by the providers who usually participate in the VFC program has been good. It has taken a slower process to get it out into private practice. They are not used to being part of a government program. Some of them don't want to do that because of the paperwork
There is a long-standing issue about the size of the vaccine. They have to be used within 12 hours after being opened. Doctors don't like to waste vaccine. It is viewed as a precious commodity by them. It is a challenge to get them to order enough vaccine so that they can give it to one person and discard the rest.
All Covid protections have been distributed fairly. According to an analysis by Kaiser, half of the 19 million kids under 5 years old are children of color. With public sites and schools unavailable to help the youngest kids, there will be more pressure on community and federally qualified health centers to reach them. Jen Kates is the director of global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser foundation. The last thing anyone would want is for these children to suffer disproportionately or have worse access to this intervention.
Experts are hoping for a slow take-up. If your kids have well-child visits coming soon, or summer appointments to get them ready for sports, you may want to wait a few months. It leaves the kids vulnerable to Covid longer, but it also makes the vaccine more acceptable in the early years of life.
Scheduling won't be an issue for some parents. Extra patience will be needed from people within the medical system as they work through concerns. According to a visiting research scientist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a patient may ask for a conversation at their next doctor's appointment. It may take multiple conversations with their family members. The people in the middle are the ones that public health messaging strategies will want to go after.
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