SAN DIEGO — With the fall semester here, public health officials say vaccination rates for children remain low. It’s all in an effort to keep COVID-19 cases down and keep kids safe.
"We want our schools to be safe places for our kids to go back and learn as their interacting with their peers and teachers," said Wilma Wooten, M.D, M.P.H, San Diego County Public Health Officer.
Her plea comes as data shows the percentage of children who’ve received one dose of the vaccine remains low throughout the county.
Data from the County Health and Human Services Agency shows the percentage of local children who have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine:
- 9.1% of children between 6 months and 4 years old
- 47.3% of children between 5 and 11 years old
- 85.5% of children between 12 and 17 years old
"We recognize that some parents might be hesitant to vaccinate their children," said Wooten.
Wooten adds that although children are better able to fight severe illness, it's always better to play is safe.
"We don’t really know the long-term effects and we do know that children do have long hauler syndrome just as adults do, maybe not as frequently, but they do have it," said Wooten.
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