People are not vaccinating their children against covid

Philadelphia — Covid cases are up in Philadelphia about 40% in the last month, that’s not counting the dozens of people who have tested positive at home as the latest variant of the BA.5 omicron spreads across the country.

Although vaccines keep most people alive and out of the hospital, the White House is urging all Americans to get vaccinated and boosted, including young children who finally had access to immunizations this summer.

Why is BA.5 not a supervirus and how are vaccines still the best option against COVID?

“If you’re vaccinated but haven’t gotten a booster, this is a really good time to go and get a booster,” Ashish Jha, the White House coronavirus response coordinator, said last week.

Many people across the country seem to disregard the guidelines.

The most recent data shows that few of America’s youngest have received a dose of the vaccine and many adults do not receive recommended booster shots. The same trends occur at the local level.

Here’s a rundown of who gets vaccinated and who doesn’t:

Last week, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) reported that, just over a month after its approval, vaccination rates among children under 5 appear to have peaked at 2.8 percent. Since enthusiastic parents vaccinated their children, the average number of new doses administered nationally has begun to decline.

The slow pace of uptake was predictable: Only one in five parents of children in this age group wanted their child vaccinated right away, according to a May survey by KFF. An updated survey released Tuesday found that four in 10 parents of eligible children will “definitely not” vaccinate their child.

The rebound that occurred after the approval of the first pediatric vaccines was different for children aged 5 to 11 years. After vaccines were recommended for older children in November 2021, about 30% of this age group across the country is fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

Adults are also not rushing after booster shots, and the recent surge in the BA.5 omicron variant has apparently done little to change attitudes. As of July 21, about 51.4 percent of Americans age 18 and older received a booster. In recent months, vaccination rates have plateaued across all demographic groups, regardless of whether they go without a first shot or a booster.

Public health authorities said they still hope more people will get vaccinated.

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