DeKalb Pediatric Practice Offering COVID-19 Vaccinations To Teens 16 And Over
A DeKalb Pediatric Center staffer gives the COVID-19 vaccination shot.
DeKalb Pediatric Center
A DeKalb County-based doctor, who is leading a pediatric practice that recently started administering the Pfizer vaccine to teens 16 and over, says the emotional impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on kids is beyond enormous.
“As pediatricians, we’ve seen less and less illness as people are socially distanced and isolated and more and more mental health issues,” said Dr. Jane Wilkov, founder of DeKalb Pediatric Center. “We’ve probably talked about and prescribed more things for anxiety and depression than we did for antibiotics in the last year.”
Wilkov, a guest on Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” told show host Rose Scott that both teens and younger children are having trouble coping with the new normal birthed by the pandemic — and are experiencing grief and fear — and overall want their lives back.
During the virtual conversation, Wilkov talked candidly about the tremendous response her practice has gotten from teens enthused about getting vaccinated.
“We were getting emails and phone calls,” said Wilkov. “As the kids started coming in with their parents, many parents were vaccinated and grandparents. They were all sharing it with their friends, and one after another, it was the kids.”
Wilkov says since her team started administering the vaccine a little over three weeks ago, they’ve had to figure out logistical challenges to tackle the increased volume of people in and out of her facility and manage the distribution and storing of the vaccine doses.
“We’ve got six doctors, four nurse practitioners and 13 staff altogether,” said Wilkov, “Every single person in this office has played a role in making this vaccine rollout happen.”
The veteran pediatrician, who has been providing care to patients for more than 30 years, described the vaccine as a game-changer and stressed the importance of children getting vaccinated.
“All this talk about herd immunity, with 25% or more of the population 16 and under, until we can get all the kids vaccinated, we are not going to get this completely under control,” said Wilkov.
To listen to the full conversation, click the audio player above.
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