No matter how you feel about the COVID-19 vaccines, the Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of pediatric COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 years old is a major milestone amid the COVID-19 pandemic — and one that is game-changing for parents who have been weary to return to “normal” activities without protection for their children.

Here in Butler County, Butler Memorial Hospital has two clinics scheduled to distribute pediatric vaccines; one this coming Saturday and one on July 30. Both will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The second dose clinics will follow on Aug. 6 and Aug. 27, respectively.

These clinics come after the Pfizer vaccine was approved for children age 6 months through 4 years, and the Moderna vaccine covers children age 6 months through 5 years.

We won’t tell you what to do with your children. That’s between you and your pediatrician, whom you should absolutely consult about this or any other treatment or vaccine.

But for those who have immunocompromised children or who otherwise feel strongly about receiving the vaccine, this may be a crucial step to returning to family gatherings, after-school activities and more.

For this crowd, it’s a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. COVID-19 and its potential symptoms pose real risks to the immunocompromised community, and the vaccine is one way they can protect themselves.

In an article published earlier this week in the Butler Eagle, Dr. John Love, executive director of clinical safety and infectious disease at Butler Health System, said this step is not the “final nail in the coffin” of COVID-19, but it will “help individual children from getting severe symptoms.”

For families that have been waiting for their little ones to get vaccinated, though, it’s a big moment. It’s a step toward getting their lives back.

For more information on the vaccine clinics, and to make an appointment, visit butlerhealthsystem.org.

— TL