People who want COVID vaccines worry about access

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Some patient pregnant women, parents of patient kids and younger patient adults are worried they won't beryllium capable to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because of nan caller changes successful entree by nan national government.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

The Trump management is making it much difficult for patient children and patient pregnant women to get nan COVID vaccine, and that is worrying parents, younger adults and pregnant women who still want nan shot. NPR wellness analogous Rob Stein said pinch immoderate of them.

ROB STEIN, BYLINE: Loryn Competti (ph) was relaxing pinch her hubby astatine their location successful Cincinnati erstwhile she heard astir nan caller recommendations for who should get a COVID vaccine.

LORYN COMPETTI: I was sitting connected my sofa watching nan news. I was conscionable like, what is happening? I started crying. I was like, they're not recommending it for pregnant women anymore. And I was like, is this really, like, what's happening? Like, americium I not going to beryllium capable to get this vaccine? Why? Why? That's perfectly terrifying.

STEIN: Terrifying because nan 30-year-old Ohio authorities worker is astir 5 months pregnant, but nan CDC is nary longer recommending nan shots for patient pregnant women.

COMPETTI: I don't want to get COVID while I'm pregnant. I don't want it to wounded my child. I don't want to person a premature birth. I conscionable cognize that there's complications that travel on pinch it, truthful that does scare me.

STEIN: She besides knows that nan only measurement to protect her newborn babe is by getting vaccinated herself.

COMPETTI: Not only does it protect maine while I'm pregnant, but it does thief nan kid erstwhile they're calved successful their first fewer months of life erstwhile they person zero immunity to it whatsoever. So, you know, that's important to me. I want my kid to person entree to that.

STEIN: And patient pregnant women aren't nan only group who are worried. In Nashville, Ashley Hoskins (ph), her husband, Bob (ph) and their girl want to support getting vaccinated, too. That's because Bob has to return powerful narcotics to forestall his assemblage from rejecting his transplanted kidney.

ASHLEY HOSKINS: He's astatine a heightened consequence to drawback everything. So not only do we person to interest astir whether aliases not he tin person vaccines, we person ever had to beryllium vaccinated, arsenic well, to supply different wall of protection astir him.

STEIN: Bob will still beryllium capable to get a shot, but now Hoskins and her girl interest whether they will, too. That's because nan FDA now says there's only capable grounds proving nan vaccines are safe and effective for group 65 aliases older aliases who person different wellness problems. So Hoskins whitethorn nary longer qualify. And arsenic for her daughter, nan CDC isn't recommending nan vaccine for patient kids anymore, conscionable saying parents tin talk to their doctors astir getting nan shots.

HOSKINS: Blanket decisions for illustration this, it doesn't let nan families to deliberation astir their ain backstage situation. How do we protect nan group that we love? People are going to get hurt. So, yeah, it's frustrating. It's scary.

STEIN: And Rachel Sampler Zelaya (ph) is worried, too. She's 42 and lives successful Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Her 6-year-old girl has asthma, truthful she wants to support getting herself, her hubby and their 2 different patient kids vaccinated to protect her, too. But nan caller policies could make it harder for nan remainder of nan family.

RACHEL SAMPLER ZELAYA: I'm angry. Angry, frustrated.

STEIN: And she's not conscionable angry and disappointment because she's worried astir protecting her daughter. She wants to shield nan full family.

SAMPLER ZELAYA: It's not conscionable a cold. It affects nan vascular system, nan neurological system, nan immune system. And moreover mild cases person nan imaginable to create into agelong COVID. You know, nan encephalon fog, nan memory, nan fatigue. We vaccinate for acold less, and this is decidedly a illness to maine that needs to beryllium vaccinated for.

STEIN: She says abruptly having to interest astir nan vaccines again feels for illustration a flashback to nan early days of nan pandemic.

SAMPLER ZELAYA: It feels for illustration we are going backmost successful clip again to that aforesaid spot wherever there's not a full batch that I tin do to protect my kids.

STEIN: Federal officials opportunity nan changes make consciousness because truthful galore group person truthful overmuch immunity now. They besides mobility nan information of nan vaccines, moreover though billions of group person gotten nan shots. Many experts opportunity that demonstrates nan vaccines are secure and effective for everyone. Competti, Hoskins and Zelaya cognize they will astir apt still beryllium capable to get nan shots by paying for them for themselves. But each nan uncertainty and changing rules makes them anxious. Here's Competti again, nan pregnant female from Ohio.

COMPETTI: Yeah, I'm conscionable worried that if we're losing entree to, you know, COVID vaccines, and I don't cognize if different things are going to get taken away. Yeah, I'm conscionable scared. I'm conscionable scared. I don't cognize what's happening.

STEIN: Rob Stein, NPR News.

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