OPINION: Why Children Need the COVID-19 Vaccine
By Valerie Borum Smith, MD, MPH, FAAP
Valerie Borum Smith, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a pediatrician at St. Paul Children’s Services in Tyler, Texas, and is a member of the Texas Medical Association COVID-19 taskforce.
Good news for parents children who are 12 years and older can now get the COVID-19 vaccine, and it couldn’t come at a better time. While children are less likely to develop severe illness from COVID-19, they are still at risk. Families deserve the chance to get back to an active life without the constant worries. The vaccine is the best shot at a normal life, protected from Covid.
Question: What do you do on the Texas Medical Association s Task Force?
Answer: So the Texas Medical Association and COVID-19 Task Force is a group of physicians from across Texas. So I represent East Texas as well as the pediatric perspective. We review the most important and up-to-date information about COVID-19 across the country, and specifically what s happening in Texas. We also help educate other physicians about COVID-19.
Question: W
Answer: So the vaccine that has been approved for 12 to 15-year-olds is the Pfizer vaccine, it s one of the mRNA vaccines. So it helps instruct your body to make an antibody against one of the really important spike proteins on the COVID-19 virus. It works the same way in teenagers as it does in adults. But when they started doing the original studies on it, they just were studying adults. So then once it was approved for adults are actually, as they were gaining that approval for adults. Pfizer started testing on teenagers as well. And
St. Paul s Children s Services in Tyler seeking donations after having to discard nearly 1,000 pounds of meat due to power outage
The St. Paul drive-thru food distribution is open Monday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. They also open on Fridays from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Author: Reagan Roy, Alan Kasper Published: 10:44 AM CST February 25, 2021 Updated: 10:44 AM CST February 25, 2021
TYLER, Texas
Last weeks storm has left many of our neighbors turning to local nonprofits to help them get through, but many of those institutions also felt the sting of mother nature’s touch.
One in five East Texans, including one in three children, are now facing hunger.
Credit: Sarah Miller Published: 11:51 AM CST December 13, 2020 Updated: 11:51 AM CST December 13, 2020
Between the months of March and November, St. Paul’s Children Services in Tyler saw nearly 3,800 new families visit its food pantry – a 362% increase over the same period last year.
The organization is just one among many area food pantries that partners with the East Texas Food Bank, a nonprofit that works to fight against food insecurity and hunger across 26 counties.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the need for resources remains as high as ever, Wyatt Bynum, development director for St. Paul’s Children Services, said.
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