CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — With winter almost upon us and people staying indoors more, the second year of the winter surge in COVID-19 cases is beginning, although not nearly as severely as last year.
“Morning in America” reporter Ileana Diaz reported that there are 28 states considered high-risk areas for the virus, and testing sites are expected get busy soon. States like Minnesota and Colorado are seeing 3,000 new cases daily. As people cluster inside and winter weather closes in, that will likely only get worse.
This is why, Diaz said, there is a push now more than ever for vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11, the newest group to be approved by the federal government to get the jab.
The problem is limited supply. In New York, doctors are only receiving a third of the kid-level vaccine doses they’ve requested, although city officials say more are on the way.
Another factor is vaccine hesitancy among parents. Even many who are vaccinated themselves are hesitant about giving to shot to their kids, worrying that it’s too new and hasn’t been adequately tested yet. Actor Matthew McConaughey made headlines this week for saying that he wouldn’t get his own kids vaccinated just yet, even though he’s been vaccinated and is a believer in the efficacy.
Parents are worried mostly about long-term effects, side effects and impacts on fertility, although that last concern was thoroughly debunked recently as yet another vaccine-related false rumor.
Whether the short supply and vaccine hesitancy issues will worsen the winter surge remains to be seen.