By Guy Page
Less than eight percent of Vermont children ages six months to five years old have been vaccinated for Covid-19, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said at a press conference yesterday.
Of the total age-eligible population of 26,000, about 2200 have been vaccinated since the vaccine was authorized for that age group, Levine said.
“Having only been going for a couple of weeks, I consider that a positive feature,” Levine said. “Vermont, per tradition, is leading.” Vermont’s young child vax rate is 3-4 times the national rate, he said.
Levine said he expects the numbers to rise as children see their pediatricians for their annual vaccinations.
The July 6 Seven Days noted that parents aren’t turning out in droves to vaccinate their children, but quoted health care providers as saying parents are just too burned out on Covid-19 to act. “It’s been too long to feel the excitement anymore,” a mom told a reporter.
The medical community is not universally supportive of vaccinating young children for Covid-19, because that age group suffers old mild effects from the illness and because of concerns about side-effects of the vaccine.