Lexington parents react to COVID vaccine approval for children under 5 years old

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - COVID vaccines will soon be widely available for Kentuckians aged six months to five years old.

“We’ve had vaccines and they’ve been doing well for the older populations and now if you’re older than six months...they can get vaccinated and we can provide them some protection,” said Dr. Foxx, a Lexington physician.

In an interview with WKYT Friday, Dr. Foxx discussed the FDA’s authorization of COVID vaccines for children under 5. He says while dosages may be different, the vaccine’s effect isn’t.

”It’s a little different between Pfizer and Moderna,” Dr. Foxx said. “The dose is not equivalent but the function is the same.”

But the federal approval hasn’t quite sparked local interest. While CDC advisers voted unanimously to recommend the vaccine for kids under five today, the vast majority of parents I spoke with at Jacobson Park tell me they are not comfortable with their kids getting it.

”She’s not in school yet so I don’t think I’m going to get her vaccinated,” said Crystal Bragman about her two-year-old daughter.

Bragman says her stance will likely change when she starts school and is in crowded, indoor settings.

“If my daughter was in school, I would get her vaccinated because she’s around other people,” Bragman added.

Lexington resident Rachel Lanham has four children, aged three to 12, and says she does not intend to have any of her kids get it at this time.

“Maybe in a few years if we know what it’s doing to our children, but not this early, no,” said Lanham.

“We were actually living in Japan and caught COVID as a family,” said John McCray, who brought his seven-year-old daughter, Precious, to the park. “At that time, she was five years old we got through just fine. I’d rather just work with the antibodies that are in us”

On the other hand, Jackie Neal is happy her two-year-old granddaughter can now get it.

”Kids need to be out and interact with each other and have that socialization, and you don’t want to have a fear of them getting sick,” said Neal.

But CDC survey findings show just one third of parents in the age group plan to get their child vaccinated.

While Dr. Foxx understands parents being hesitant, he says the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks caused by getting the virus. But parents say it’s potential vaccine risks and unknowns that are their foremost concern at this time.

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