From CNN: "‘A vicious cycle’: Low Covid-19 vaccination rates lead to fewer doses at pediatric offices. Now, some parents can’t find it "
"Dr. Jesse Hackell, who chairs the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine, says that when the latest vaccine was released in September, 'the people who really wanted it came in early, and they got it.'
"But that trend has since petered out, leaving doctors who ordered several doses of the vaccine with no one to administer them to.
"According to Hackell, 10 doses of the updated shot can cost doctors up to $1,300. He says many pediatricians are reluctant to buy doses and potentially be at a loss.
"'If we give one dose and have to return nine, we’ll get credit for those, but you can only return it after they expire, which is like five months or a year down the line,' he says. 'Pediatricians work on very small margins. That kind of time, that kind of money, is not something that we can do easily.'
"If pediatricians don’t have the vaccine on hand when a parent asks for it, Dr. Katherine Matthias, a pediatrician in South Carolina, worries that they might think pediatricians don’t really find them all that important.
"'It’s almost a vicious cycle where some pediatricians feel like they don’t really want to keep it in stock because the uptake is so low,' Matthias said. 'But part of the reason that uptake is so low is because it’s so hard to find.'
"Parents have run into other problems too, such as delayed dose delivery to pediatricians.
"Another factor contributing to the low uptake is simply a lack of enthusiasm for the shot.
"'Many people across the country have decided that Covid-19 is no longer a problem,' Hackell says. 'They’re just not going to get it for their kids.'"
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Well, isn't that the CDC's job to raise awareness whenever COVID vaccines are available? Their lack of messaging has been appalling, and it doesn't look like anything will change soon.
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