COLUMBUS, Ohio — It was just last week children ages 5 to 11 became eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. But the way the timing works out, those kids will not be able to be fully vaccinated by Thanksgiving. Is it safe to have those big family gatherings?
To be fully vaccinated, it must be two weeks after your second dose. We spoke with two doctors and their big piece of advice was simple.
“Everybody who is going to be there, who can be vaccinated, should be vaccinated,” said Dr. Miller Cullivan, a pediatrician with Central Ohio Primary Care.
"Children are safer when they are surrounded by people who are fully vaccinated. It becomes a riskier scenario when you're mixing together a bunch of people who are vaccinated with a bunch of people who are unvaccinated,” said Dr. Joseph Gastaldo, OhioHealth.
But, if that won't happen, here are a few other recommendations:
- Space people out
- Have anyone sick stay home
- Consider masks if anyone immunocompromised is attending
- Utilize home testing
If you're looking to have your child fully vaccinated by Christmas, they need to have their first shot of the vaccine no later than the end of next week.