Los Angeles County health officials could begin offering COVID-19 vaccines to children as young as 6 months old as soon as tomorrow, now that federal officials have approved the shots for children under age 5.
County health officials noted that young children are considered at lower risk of becoming severely ill or dying from COVID, but they said the risk is higher among unvaccinated children. They also contend that unvaccinated children are at higher risk of developing Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C.
According to the county, over the past three months, unvaccinated children aged 12-17 were nearly four times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID than vaccinated children. Among vaccine-eligible children in the county who contracted confirmed cases of MIS-C, 65% were unvaccinated, officials said.
“As we have seen with adults, children can experience short and long-term health problems from COVID-19,'' county Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement."Vaccinations are a proven safety measure that protects your entire family, including now your youngest children, from severe illness and death from COVID.