LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Federal regulators are expected to approve the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 as early as next week.
Dr. Joe Flynn of Norton Healthcare told WDRB News getting elementary age children vaccinated is important to beating the virus and making sure kids are safe in school.
“To be able to have them be vaccinated is vital," said Flynn. "So, this is really an important moment in time for sure."
Less than half of teenagers nationwide have been vaccinated and Flynn knows some parents have concerns. He said they should take those concerns to a trusted healthcare provider.
“Having those discussions with a trusted provider I think will be really important,” he said. “I think we'll see that the data shows that not only is it very effective, it's very safe.”
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said Thursday the state is ready to help distribute the vaccine for children, though not all of the doses will be available right away.
Beshear said schools could become a prime location for kids to get the shot, but he doesn't expect any state to require the vaccine to attend school.
“However, I believe that we should push as hard as we can to provide accurate information to every parent out there,” he said.
Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul told WDRB News he hopes neither the state, federal governments, or individual school districts impose vaccine mandates.
“I don't like the idea that you're telling everybody in the country you can't go to school, you can't play sports, you're banned from choir, all these things that are part of the taxes you pay,” said Paul.
Beshear did urge school districts not to drop their mask mandates until more students are fully vaccinated.
Though the number of cases and the infection rate are falling, Beshear said "there is still too much virus out there."
"When we get to a safer place, we may be able to drop this protection," he said. "But if our goal is not to appease some angry parents, but to keep our kids in school, yes, please keep that universal masking up and going."
Dr. Flynn said he just hopes schools and parents make decisions based on accurate information.
“That's going to be an important discussion we have," he said. "My only hope is that we do it in an open-minded and open-hearted way to try to take in the various viewpoints and information."
The vaccine dose for young kids will be about one-third of the adult dose. It will come in smaller vials and be administered using smaller needles.
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