C.D.C. advisers unanimously recommend vaccinations of young children

@destined22 My oldest turns 5 next week, we are in Canada, so the timing couldn’t be sillier. We have successfully avoided COVID so far, so are hoping to make it to the finish line. We also have 18 month old twins and are hoping Canada will authorize this asap so we can finally all be vaxxed!
 
@destined22 Are people still living differently in 2022 due to Covid?

I live in a rural part of Indiana and no one has even really thought of Covid in about a year. Even the schools kind of just shrug their shoulders when a student catches it.

What’s it been like for people that have been looking forward to this?
 
@igors I’m in California and everyone we spend time with has likewise adapted and moved on. I think those who have been waiting on a poke for their baby or toddler aren’t visible because they quite literally haven’t left their homes. But each to their own!
 
@wawahwario This! We've still been in lockdown, I can't wait to do mundane shit like drag the kid on pointless trips to get home improvement supplies, or drag her to indoor venues. We've been an outdoor only socially distanced family. I am busting at the seams.
 
@igors I’m on the west coast and quite a few people I know are still not taking their LOs indoors anywhere, avoiding get togethers, etc. Lots of variable risk tolerance levels. I know those people are so, so excited to be at this point. We personally opened up a bit after having COVID in January but I’m still pumped!!
 
@igors In the Northeast, a lot of daycares still have strict Covid policies. 10 day quarantines for all unvaccinated kids anytime there’s a case in the classroom, which recently has been often.
 
@igors We are sort of in-between. We are in a small but liberal Midwestern town. Many folks have moved on in the sense that a majority (although not a huge one) of eligible folks are vaccinated, we still have okay (although greatly pared down) PCR testing access, most people at one time were pretty cautious, etc. But few wear masks at this time and they are no longer required except for at health care facilities.

Our kids, both under 5, have been back at daycare for a year and a half. That's the only place they go. That's where all our household risk is. My older kid (happily and with no issues) continues to wear a mask for most of the day, although it's no longer required. My younger kid is too young to mask. My husband and I wear masks anytime we are in public, period, so we don't eat out. I don't take them to the grocery store, the library, etc, because I can tell from what data there are that transmission is high right now.

I'm eager to get them vaccinated because every day I know their odds of exposure are high and I can't do anything about it. I can't quit, my husband can't quit, we can't wfh with them. Each time they have had an exposure before, we have to keep them home for 10 days. If one were to get it, they'd both have to stay home 10 days plus 10 more days for the exposure, unless one gets it from the other in which case however long that transmission would take plus 10 more days. Even if I had zero concern about whether they'd get severely ill or not, which scientifically is comparable to the flu (for which I happily get them vaccinated), I can't afford the time off any longer.

Once they are vaccinated it takes some pressure off that the whole society around me has moved on. I'll know my kids are protected from the small but real risk of a bad outcome, just like with the flu vaccines they get each year. If they get exposed at daycare I can monitor and test them without losing two weeks of work time with no notice. If they get ill, we can keep them home while they are ill and contagious and send them back when they are better, just like any other infectious disease in a daycare setting. And therefore it won't be so concerning and disruptive to our entire work and personal life that we feel we have to avoid simple stuff like going to a store or taking them to a museum. That's why I'm so excited.
 
@igors It's just a huge peace of mind. My family and relatives have been very cautious with gatherings. All of us are vaccinated. And my family wears a mask when necessary (huge crowds indoor).

But a child in my toddlers daycare tested positive for covid who was in contact with my child. It was an eventuality. Thankfully he did not contract it. I'm sure the fact that I'm still breastfeeding helped a little.

We'll still masks when necessary. Between covid and inflation it's really given our family business a run for its money. Catching covid would just make our hardships even worse.
 
@destined22 Did anyone catch this statistic from the article? 37% efficacy between age 2-5 seems far lower than the efficacy for adults.

“The company estimated the vaccine’s efficacy against symptomatic infection at about 51 percent among children ages 6 to 24 months, and 37 percent among children ages 2 through 5.”
 
@destined22 People keep telling me that kids are usually fine/get mild symptoms, but it’s not 100% of the time and doesn’t factor in long Covid. While I know the vaccine isn’t the end all be all, it adds a layer of protection against the worst and that means a lot to my family. As soon as our pediatrician gives us the go ahead, we’re doing it.
 
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