Here's why this Atlanta doctor and mom vaccinated her kids against COVID-19

Children in the U.S. remain woefully unvaccinated against COVID-19. About 3% of America’s infants and toddlers are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

And vaccine hesitancy among parents is likely to blame. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll from this summer found that 4 out of 10 parents of children under 4 years old said they will “definitely not” get their child vaccinated for COVID-19.

So to help assuage parents’ concerns, Walgreens pharmacist Danielle Hambrick sat down with Dr. Eva Beaulieu to answer some common questions about the vaccine. Beaulieu, an internal medicine physician in Atlanta, vaccinated her own three children against COVID.

“Kids are still at risk of catching COVID-19, still at risk of developing severe illness and even being hospitalized,” Beaulieu says. “They’re even at risk of spreading the virus to their peers and their elderly family members or anyone else.”

Getting your child vaccinated against COVID-19 is “the only way to protect your child from getting really, really sick,” she continues.

To make sure your child’s vaccination appointment goes smoothly, Beaulieu recommends talking to them beforehand about what they can expect and why getting the vaccine is important.

“No kids like needles, so you don't want to surprise your kids by taking them to the appointment and telling them at that time that they're going to get a vaccine,” she says. “So talking to them ahead of time will remove a little bit of fear and allow them to ask questions so that when the appointment comes, they know what to expect.”

Walgreens vaccinates children ages 3 and up, and you can schedule your COVID-19 vaccine or booster for your kids today at Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine, the Walgreens app or by calling 1-800-Walgreens.

Watch the full conversation between Hambrick and Beaulieu: