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It鈥檚 a day that some parents have been waiting for since the day their children were born: Kids under the age of 5 are now eligible to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
So this time, the tears that filled an auditorium inside Children鈥檚 National Hospital鈥檚 Research Campus in Upper Northwest Tuesday morning as tots finally got their shots were a sign more of a relief than cause for concern.
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Chinmay Hegde and his wife, Sarah Close, made sure their daughter Ada was the first to get an appointment.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be nice to know she has some level of protection,鈥� said Close.
For Andrea Spriggs, it鈥檒l finally be a chance to get her daughter, Nyla Biglow, out in the real world for the first time in the 18-month-old鈥檚 life.
鈥淪he was born in December 2020. She was born at 25 weeks so she鈥檚 premature,鈥� said Spriggs. 鈥淭he last two years, she鈥檚 spent a lot of time in the hospital鈥� because of chronic lung disease and breathing issues. Every trip to the hospital led to lots of fear about coming home with a potentially deadly respiratory virus.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been very isolating, to say the least,鈥� said Spriggs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been hard. It鈥檚 been hard. It鈥檚 been 鈥� it feels like it鈥檚 never-ending.”
She added, 鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 see family, we couldn鈥檛 see friends 鈥� it鈥檚 been challenging for my husband and I.”
Spriggs had to quit her job to care for Nyla and admits, 鈥渋t鈥檚 not great mentally. It鈥檚 exhausting too. I鈥檝e been talking about this day a very long time,鈥� she confessed. 鈥淚鈥檓 so excited to get her protected.鈥�
Another mom who was eager to get a young child vaccinated was Dr. Sarah Schaffer DeRoo, who also happens to be a pediatrician with Children鈥檚 National. Not only was she there working, but her youngest son Hewitt was there to get a shot.
鈥淚 truly feel that parents of children under 5 were left behind,鈥� said Schaffer DeRoo. 鈥淰ery first in the pandemic, the playgrounds were closed and children didn鈥檛 have child care providers. All the day cares were closed, and parents really had to struggle to take care of their children and get their work done.鈥�
Then you had the long wait between when adults and older kids could get vaccinated.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long time coming,鈥� she said, adding that she believes this day is among the top three or so most notable milestone moments of the pandemic.
鈥淚 really think that this is going to change the scope of the pandemic for families,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he quarantine requirements and isolation requirements will certainly change with time as more children have access to a vaccine and it鈥檚 going to make our lives feel a lot more normal.鈥�
That normalcy is what Spriggs is most looking forward to introducing her daughter to.
鈥淭aking her to the grocery store, taking her to Target, just kind of simplicity of life,鈥� is what Spriggs said she is most looking forward to. 鈥淣ot always asking my husband, 鈥楧o you think we鈥檙e OK in that environment?鈥� with people that don鈥檛 have masks on.”
She added, 鈥淛ust show her some normalcy.”
