With the youngest population now able to get the covid vaccination, medical leaders are urging parents to do so.

Greene County Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Laurie Connolly tells Raccoon Valley Radio since 2020, 442 children from 0-4 years old have died from covid across the country and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added the virus to the top ten causes of death for that age group. She explains another reason is because children are a resource of infection for families.

“They’re in a setting where they’re with a lot of other children either in daycare or preschool. And there’s a lot of children that age with thumbs in their mouths, they’re sucking on the toys that all the kids are playing with. I certainly know of many people that have picked up the COVID-19 virus because they just spent time with their grandchildren, for example.”  

Dr. Connolly notes that newborns to 4 year olds are the highest risk age group for hospitalizations when it comes to covid in children. She says one in four toddlers who had covid needed to be in intensive care.

“And what’s really astounding is that a lot of those kids that were hospitalized for covid had no underlying health issues. So I think we have this belief that the people, especially toddlers, that are sick and in the hospital are those with chronic disease, and that’s not true for at least half of the children who have been hospitalized.”

Dr. Connolly adds vaccines are meant to prevent people from dying or becoming seriously ill. The covid vaccine for all ages is available through Greene County Public Health. Contact them at 515-386-3228.