Savannah pediatrician seeing less kids 5 and under getting vaccinated against Covid-19

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Dr. Ben Spitalnick at Pediatric Associates of Savannah said they aren’t seeing enough kids coming to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Dr. Spitalnick says roughly half of kids ages 12 to six are getting their COVID vaccine but the number is lower for kids five and under at about 20% to 30%.

Children five and under who get the Pfizer vaccine have to take three doses opposed to two for the Moderna vaccine.

He says as more little ones in the age group come for routine checkups, he expects more parents to get their younger kids vaccinated.

“It’s not as many as we hoped. We are seeing with each age group that’s eligible for the vaccine, a slight drop off based on a few reasons.”

He says the main reason is because there are less COVID cases than when the vaccine first became available. However, the CDC shows Chatham County is currently a high-risk area.

“When the vaccine started, schools were in quarantine and people had to mask up and so the intake was high. Now, that we’ve relaxed a lot of our lifestyle back to normal, people don’t see the need for the vaccine as much as they were, but we’re still seeing a very good uptake.”

With school doors opening soon, Dr. Spitalnick reminds parents that if your child has COVID, it’s important they are isolated for five days so other kids don’t get sick.

If symptoms lighten up, then they can return to normal activities. If not, it may be time to call the doctor.

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