TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo Lucas County Health Department had more than 850 appointments scheduled for the first of a two-day COVID-19 vaccination clinic for children ages 5 to 11 years old.
Health Commissioner Eric Zgodzinski said there were already at least 600 appointments for the second day, and parents can still sign up.
Though no one loves to get poked with a needle, the kids WTOL got a chance to speak with were happy to get the shot for a cause bigger than themselves.
They had pride in the fact that they and their parents agreed that it was a good idea for them to get the vaccine.
Five-year-old Ruth Dougherty admitted that she did tear up from the shot, but the sticker she earned was worth the pain.
"I got vaccinated," Dougherty explained. "My brother helped me."
Maplewood Elementary second grader Lucas Borden said he was okay with getting the shot and agreed it was important to do so.
"I'm happy that I got the vaccine, because I'll be more safe," Borden said.
Stranahan Elementary third grader Mark Wagner said getting the shot just makes sense.
"Just because you wanna probably be safe," Wagner said.
Many of these little voices were big on safety. This idea of safety was echoed by Zgodzinski, who estimated the department would hand out more than 3,000 doses over the next two days.
While he agreed that parents who aren't ready shouldn't just begrudgingly get the shot, he noted that parents should talk to their doctors first and know that it's not just the health department that's offering vaccines.
"We have pharmacies giving it out, doctor's offices giving it out. We're going to continue to have [pediatric] doses in our community," Zgodzinski said. "The more people that we're giving vaccines out to, the better off we are."
Parents like Christiana Wagner, Mark Wagner's mother, agreed with Zgodzinski; she believes the more kids that get the shot, the better and safer kids are.
"It's wonderful to know that my entire family is now vaccinated. Well, [Mark] is partially vaccinated, but we're getting there. For him to be able to get the vaccine in a clinic, there's like this family feeling, you know?" Wagner said.
While several parents and children were happy about clinic, one parent told WTOL they did not feel the clinic and the school was set up and run safely.
WTOL reached out to the Toledo Lucas County Health Department for their response:
"We always implement COVID-19 safety protocols at all of our vaccine clinics: appropriate social distancing, hand sanitizing, wearing a mask, and increase ventilation to ensure adequate airflow," Shannon M. Jones, Director of Health Promotion & Policy Integration Public Information Officer.
