(Radio Iowa) – Iowa health care providers are now vaccinating children between the ages of five and 11 for COVID-19. UnityPoint Health started to give the Pfizer vaccine to that age group today (Monday). Eric Haugen is a pediatrician with Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines.  Haugen says, “This is something that will make it easier and safer for children to go to school, to be part of events that they like to participate in.”

He says with the holiday season coming up, kids who are vaccinated will be less likely to spread coronavirus to family members with whom they gather. Doctors say getting the vaccine to this age group will make schools safer, while some parents will feel more confident about letting their kids go to sleepovers and sporting events again. Sara Schutte, a pediatrician with MercyOne in Ankeny, says young kids are often anxious to get shots — so it takes a bit more coaxing and more nurses on the ground to help them through it. “But kids do very well, in general,” Schutte says. “They’re more anxious about getting vaccines of any kind and then by the time we get it done, they actually are not quite as bad as they thought.”

Meanwhile, Haugen says he’s heard from a lot from parents, many are excited about the vaccine, some are hesitant. He points to a study that enrolled thousands of 5 to 11-year-olds to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective. The study found -no- serious side effects. Nationwide, more than 83-hundred children have been hospitalized because of COVID.

(reporting by Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)