by Dana Gentry, Nevada Current
America’s children are being vaccinated against COVID-19 at an alarmingly variable rate, depending on where they live, according to doctors interviewed by Kaiser Health News.
The report, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says only 18% of the 5 million children in America ages 5 to 11 have been fully vaccinated, two months after Pfizer’s vaccine became available for that age group.
Vermont leads the nation with half of its 5-11 year olds vaccinated compared with Alabama, which has the lowest rate at 5%.
In Nevada, 10% of the state’s eligible 272,779 children ages 5-11 have been fully vaccinated.
Washoe County has the highest rate at 15.8% of its 39,840 eligible children in that age group, followed by Clark County, where 9% of the 206,201 eligible children have been vaccinated. Both are below the national average.
Esmeralda County had the lowest rate in Nevada. None of its 55 children 5-11 are fully vaccinated.
“Because kids are less likely than adults to be hospitalized or die from the virus, some parents are less inclined to vaccinate their children,” KHN reports. “Misinformation campaigns have fueled concerns about immediate and long-term health risks of the vaccine. And finding appointments at pharmacies or with pediatricians has been a bear.”
Half of Republican parents, according to a KHN poll, said they would not vaccinate their children, compared with 7% of Democrats.
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