South Bay parents bring young children to clinics for COVID vaccination
SAN JOSE -- The United States has reached a major milestone in the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, with everyone six months and older now eligible to get a shot.
Some parents of Bay Area children in that age group were eager to get their kids the protection provided by the vaccine.
Santa Clara County health officials last week announced they are ready to open COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to the county's youngest children once federal health authorities cleared the way.
"I feel like they have a better chance at fighting the virus if they were to catch it. They have a better chance than without the vaccine," said parent Joaquin Resendez, who brought his daughters -- three-year-old Aaliyah and one-year-old Sierra -- to get vaccinated at a clinic in Santa Clara County.
Resendez said there's been a number of close calls recently -- friends and co-workers who've gotten infected and family members who remain unvaccinated. So he said getting the girls their shots was a no-brainer.
"If we're taking our kids over there, maybe we should have all of us vaccinated at least to protect ourselves," he explained.
Children under the age of five were the last group to be eligible for the vaccine. Public health officials say it's generally true that young children have more mild COVID symptoms, but nonetheless encouraged parents to get their kids vaccinated.
"We know that these vaccines are exquisitely safe. And we know that they are effective. So, we're encouraging all parents to get their children vaccinated to provide the maximum protection available," says Dr. Ahmad Kamal.
Parents who grabbed the first available appointments Tuesday required little convincing at all.
"As adults, we have all the protection; we are vaccinated and boosted. And we would like to offer the same protection to our kids as well," said parent Namrata Nayyar.