Kansas City kids celebrate getting Covid vaccine as early demand exceeds supply
By Betsy Webster
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — Early demand for the kids’ COVID vaccine has pediatric specialists excited, but supply is struggling to keep up with that demand.
Children’s Mercy Hospital posted appointments last week for weekend mass vaccination clinics and less dense weekday appointments. The director of infectious diseases reported the whole month of November filled up in 15 minutes.
In some cases, it’s likely parents encouraging kids to get it done, but for one local family, it was the kids eagerly awaiting the opportunity.
Antonio and Tommy Ralph DeMartino, ages 9 and 7, got their COVID vaccination for a very personal and emotional reason.
“For my grandma and grandpa that passed away,” said 7-year-old Tommy Ralph, “because they will be really proud of me.”
Both of their grandparents died early this year after contracting the COVID-19 virus.
Their mother, Michelle DeMartino, said the family gathered to watch a Chiefs game last December, then a bunch of them got COVID, including the boys’ grandma, or Noni, Susan Barreca, who was 66 years old.
“She is like, silly and she always plays with us and tickles us, but she can’t do that anymore because she’s gone,” said Tommy Ralph, remembering his Noni.
She died on February 4th.
Their grandpa, 69-year-old Ralph Barreca, Jr., known as “Satch,” had Alzheimer’s and died five days later at a nursing home, which is where he likely got the virus.
Their grandma was two weeks away from qualifying for the vaccine when she died.
“I would give anything for my mom to have gotten that vaccine,” said Michelle DeMartino.
This weekend Children’s Mercy Hospital held a mass vaccination clinic for the 5-11 age group, where 600 kids got vaccinated. Since then, doctors there said, between 100 and 200 more have been vaccinated during weekday appointments.
“We’ve seen a huge interest in the community, which has been great,” said Dr. Angela Myers, Children’s Mercy Hospital’s director of infectious diseases.
“So far, the interest out of the gate is much higher in this population than it was in the 12-17 age group,” said Dr. Jennifer Watts, the hospital’s emergency preparedness medical director.
But demand is outpacing supply, she said. That’s because unlike with the teens, the little kids’ vaccine is a separate product, a third the adult dose in a separately packaged vial. What they’re experiencing now, she said, is similar to when the adult vaccine first rolled out.
“It’s the distribution plan to the facilities that can administer the vaccine,” Watts explained. “We are waiting on vaccine to come in from the states. Once we get that vaccine, we will try to put it into arms as soon as possible.
The DeMartino boys got theirs Tuesday on the KU Health System’s daily briefing.
“It kind of felt like a mosquito bite or somebody pinching me,” described 9-year-old Antonio, who said he wants other kids to know it doesn’t hurt. “Everybody should get it because it keeps you safe and other people safe.”
“And I won’t want people to go through what we have to go through,” Tommy Ralph added.
Children’s Mercy has two more large clinics this Saturday, each with at least 600 appointments.
All dates, times & locations can be found here.
The slots are all full, but Watts said they have been getting occasional cancellations from parents who’ve been able to get it sooner elsewhere, so it’s worth checking in regularly. She noted some of those parents have had success getting it for their kids from local health departments, their pediatricians or pharmacies, so she advised checking with those places too.
Children’s Mercy plans to add more opportunities as they get more vaccine from the states.
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