Millions of children between the ages of 5 and 11 are queuing up to get vaccinated for COVID-19, and many are not happy with it.
“For the most part, these are not willing participants,” said Beverly Schaefer, owner of Cataman’s Sand Point Pharmacy in Seattle. She was one of America’s first pharmacists to give vaccinations, and since 1996 she heard a lot of tears and groans. of teeth when giving shots to children.
Dr. Schaefer and other pharmacists cite rule number 1: Don’t let the child see the needle. Second, be quick about it. Jokes and distraction help too.
Michelle Belcher, second-generation owner of Grant Pass Pharmacy in southern Oregon, sympathizes with her childhood fear of injections. She found that ice cream and old-fashioned fountain drinks are a tested measure. “I have never had an instance where the tears didn’t stop quickly,” she said.
Sometimes parents hurt. “The thing that makes my cookies frosty is that when we slammed a kid on the ground, parents say, ‘You’re great. We’ll buy you a treat at the store,'” Dr. Schaefer he said.
All pharmacists receive 20 hours of training on vaccinations during their standard six-year course of study, said Darren Grabe, a professor at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York. But not all are eager to beat up young, frightened patients.
“You’re sticking them with a sharp object in their arm. It’s always scary, and it can be difficult,” Dr. Grebe said. “Pharmacists are going to range just like the nurses category—some are better at it.”
Mayank Amin, owner of Skippack Pharmacy outside Philadelphia, should rank near the top. He said that one of his children was crying for 30 minutes during the first days of pediatric COVID-19 vaccination. The tragic scene gave him the idea of how to stage a mass vaccination clinic.
They organized one at a nearby school earlier this month and gave each child a colour-coded wristband, which parents said about their children’s chances of being fit. The shouters were directed to the “VIP lounge”.
“Even if they scream and cry, it doesn’t scare people among others,” said Dr. Amin, a side business planning weddings.
There was live music and jugglers at the clinic, and vaccinated people wore superhero capes. The post-shot waiting room had a librarian reading stories, a magician and a chance to write thank you notes to vaccine developers.
Before the pandemic, Pennsylvania and New York were among 22 states that restricted the types of vaccines a pharmacist could give to patients under the age of 18. In August 2020, the US Department of Health and Human Services issued an amendment eliminating state-based limits, acknowledging that many people either out of fear of COVID-19 or because of lockdown restrictions issued an amendment. I had stopped going to the doctor.
An official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in September that about 70% of Covid-19 shots are at pharmacies, and more than 60% of vaccinated teens received their shot through a pharmacy.
As of Monday, about 3.1 million children aged 5 to 11 had received their first dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC. Many vaccinations were done by pharmacists who rarely or never gave shots to children.
Pharmacist Mark Weidl, who lives near St. Louis, said he has experience giving flu and COVID-19 shots to older people. He recently learned his preferences after having his 5-year-old son and more than 100 other children at a clinic on the high school campus. “The 5-year-olds in my wheelhouse are not necessarily vaccinated,” he said. “Give me 90-year-olds all day.”
New York officials recommend that parents arrange for shots at their pediatrician’s office because children are usually more comfortable there, said Emily Lutterloh, director of epidemiology for the state’s health department.
State officials this month opened appointments for children at 10 vaccination sites located at colleges, a horse track, an armory and a closed Lord & Taylor department store. Dr. Lutterloh said that those working in the clinic had to complete an hour-long training on ways to distract wary children. Crayons, posters and coloring sheets on the sites help some boys and girls take their mind off the needle.
A Walgreens executive said the pharmacy chain had administered more than 200,000 vaccines to children of primary age by November 9.
Matthew Roberts, district manager of 14 stores in the Phoenix area, said about 1,700 CVS stores across the US are distributing the vaccines. Stores are allotting more time for pediatric appointments than for adult appointments, he said, and all vaccinators receive specialized training.
“I’m by no means an expert on kids, but I know Band-Aids and candy work,” he said.
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