SAN ANTONIO – A handful of children in San Antonio ages 5-11 got their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine early Wednesday morning.
This came after the FDA approved the shot for that age group last week and the CDC gave its final approval yesterday.
“I don’t have to worry as much as I did yesterday,” Samaya Alcala, 9, said, after she got the COVID-19 vaccine at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio.
Samaya said she was nervous about the needle, but feels relieved that she gets to join her family in being vaccinated. Samaya and her friend Jacklyn were some of the first children to roll up their sleeves for the vaccine.
Kristina Rubio, mother to seven-year-old Jacklyn, said she now feels more comfortable about traveling or going places with her youngest child vaccinated.
”It’s been a long time coming,” Kristina said. “It’s something that I think we need to get back to some kind of normalcy and for the kids to feel safe.”
Dr. Elumalai Appachi, Pediatrician in Chief at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, said there is no reason to wait. He said the vaccine is safe and parents should get their children vaccinated as soon as possible.
“The reason why I’m concerned is that I’m actually seeing children with bad COVID,” Appachi said. “We used to see only older children or children who had diabetes and obesity, but we are seeing younger children with COVID-19; therefore vaccinating children will be very helpful.”
Rubio’s message to other parents who may be on the fence about vaccinating their children right away is that she was originally one of them.
”I think I was so gung-ho at the beginning when I got the call and I was like, wait, is this the right thing to do, but as I looked and researched it, it is,” Rubio said.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio for your child, you can do so.
And parents, it’s not just at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio where children ages 5-11 can get their COVID-19 vaccines. Pharmacies are offering them across the area. Also, University Health is taking appointments and will start its vaccine events at the Alamodome on Nov. 10. You can make an appointment here. Even some school districts like the Northside Independent School District and North East Independent School District are organizing future clinics.