More than 2,300 children in Wyoming have received the Pfizer COVID vaccine since it became available, according to numbers released by the Wyoming Department of Health.
According to the department, 2,345 pediatric doses of the vaccine have been administered. Spokeswoman Kim Deti explained that the pediatric doses are specifically for children ages 5 to 11.
“There is a specific Pfizer formulation for that age group,” she told Cowboy State Daily on Thursday.
According to the Washington Post, nearly 10% of children ages 5 to 11 have received their first coronavirus vaccine dose, just two weeks into the immunization campaign for children. The vaccine for children under 12 became available earlier this month.
Around 41% of the entire population of Wyoming has been vaccinated against the virus, leading the state to be identified as one of the most vaccine-hesitant in the nation.
Natrona County health officer Dr. Mark Dowell previously told Cowboy State Daily that the vaccine has become politicized, leading to the hesitancy seen across the state.
“When nearly 5 billion people have had this vaccine and people are saying it’s not safe, it’s as if the public is suddenly become scientists and I just don’t know where that comes from,” Dowell said.
Just under 29% of adolescents between 12 to 17 have been vaccinated, while 50.1% of Wyoming adults have received a dose of the vaccine.
Almost 72% of Wyoming’s seniors have been vaccinated.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, while the symptoms of COVID tend to be milder in children than in adults, the illness can still make children very sick and cause children to be hospitalized. In some situations, the complications from infection can lead to death.
