The demand for COVID-19 immunizations among children aged 5 to 11 has skyrocketed now that they are eligible.
However, experts warn that supplies are restricted for the time being and advise parents to wait.
For the children at Seattle Children’s Hospital, a ray of hope is just days away.
The COVID-19 vaccine, which will be given to children aged 5 to 11, was examined by KOMO News.
It means extra protection for medics on the front lines.
Dr. Doug Diekema, Seattle Children’s Hospital Emergency Room Physician, said, “There’s still this idea out there that kids can’t become sick from COVID, but this isn’t true; we’ve had some very, very sick children.”
Doctors predict that demand for children will outstrip supply, similar to the adult immunization rollout.
At Seattle Children’s and throughout King County, appointments are already filling up.
McDonald added, “We’re seeing fresh appointments come up, so please keep trying.”
Some of the small guys had their vaccinations this week at UW, where there is already awaiting.
Sarah, who is 11 years old, described what life was like before the vaccine.
“It was very, really, really annoying,” Sarah said, “because my brother could accomplish all of this and I couldn’t.”
Doctors said that the more children who are vaccinated, the fewer will end up in the hospital and will be able to move on with their lives.
“It will also keep kids in school and extracurricular activities, which we know is vital for their education and mental health,” McDonald added.
“You’re tossing the dice on a disease that can get pretty nasty if you don’t get vaccinated,” Diekema said.
According to King County Public Health, appointments for children ages 5 to 11 are now unavailable at the sites mentioned on their Getting Vaccinated page. Due to the present high demand for vaccination, all vaccination appointments at Public Health’s vaccination facilities in Auburn, Kent, Bellevue Eastgate, and Downtown Seattle are on a waitlist.
