NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) – Seven-year-old Carpenter Adoo soon earned the nickname “Tiny but Mighty.”
He underwent his first surgery a week ago and spent four months in the neonatal intensive care unit. He undergoes more than a dozen procedures to keep excess fluid leaking from the brain safe, usually greeting nurses with hugs and handshakes.
“He takes care of everything with a grace I don’t know I could ever solve,” said Carpenter’s mother, Leah Williamson, of Memphis.
The carpenter’s medical condition makes him particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, placing him in a population where states are struggling with prioritization, as the supply of vaccine is not sufficient for demand. Last month, Tennessee joined several states to move the families of medically vulnerable children, such as Carpenter, to the vaccine’s priority list. State officials hit them above critical infrastructure workers, grocery store employees and detainees, landing in the next phase of teachers and childcare staff.
Williamson was encouraged, but has not yet received answers about when she will receive her turn.
As the death toll in the United States rises to nearly half a million people, the threat to those with chronic health conditions remains high, especially for those under the age of 16 who are not yet approved for shooting. Williamson hopes this will make it urgent for the state of Tennessee to give him a vaccine.
He just knows that day can’t come soon enough.
Before the pandemic, the flu season terrified her. If Carpenter, who has hydrocephalus and chronic lung disease, catches COVID-19, the damage could be severe.
The future priority group for vaccines in Tennessee includes people who live with or care for children under the age of 16 and who have a high number of medical conditions, from those receiving chemotherapy to children who use a wheelchair because of high risk conditions.
They may have to wait more than a month and a half to be eligible, according to state Commissioner Lisa Piercey’s recent conservative calendar. But the national vaccine landscape is constantly changing, with President Joe Biden saying there will be enough doses for 300 million Americans by the end of July.
Barbara Saunders, a physician who heads the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s child development division, said medically fragile children have a hard enough time to stay healthy without the threat of a pandemic. She said anything to keep them as healthy as possible, including vaccinating people around them, is crucial.
“We know that children with medical complexity and who are medically fragile have a much higher risk of contracting COVID-19 than their developing peers,” Saunders said. “They are also at greater risk of severe illness and hospitalization compared to other children.”
Other states that extend eligibility for medically vulnerable caregivers include California, Oregon, Illinois, South Carolina and New Hampshire. Few make it as explicit as Tennessee, which gives priority to everyone in the household; however, other states are addressing these caregivers more quickly, with some already receiving fires.
Some states have classified those family members as home health care providers or caregivers, making them eligible. Many states do not address them.
Late last month, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called the vaccine’s priority “gut damage” when asked why the parents of immunocompromised children had not yet lined up there.
“It’s not ‘yes’ or ‘no,'” the Republican told a news conference. “It is, ‘Yes, if we do, someone else will be pushed back or another group will be pushed back. ””
Although research on whether the vaccine can stop someone from spreading the virus is not yet comprehensive, early indications are positive. AstraZeneca, whose COVID-19 vaccine is not yet available in the United States, has found evidence that its shots can reduce the transmission of the virus. A recent study in Israel revealed similar early findings about the Pfizer vaccine.
From Williamson’s perspective, the vaccine would add to what it already does. Limit travel abroad and work from home for a group that supports the families of children with special health care needs, chronic illnesses or disabilities. He is wearing shoes before entering the house, without exception. Leave packages in the backyard for a day or two and wipe off food.
“It’s like a decon (tamination) when I get home, I splash down, hand sanitizer -” No one touches my mother! “Because you just don’t know,” Williamson said. “We still have to do things, like go to the follow-up and go to the doctor’s appointments.”
At one point, he was told after a visit to the doctor’s office that someone had tested positive there. He wore masks around the children for 10 days, trying to stay in one room and limit their interactions.
Sending any of his four children – two teenagers, one of whom has a profound hearing loss and speaks sign language, and Carpenter’s twin sister – back to personal school is ruled out because of what he could bring back.
Williamson said she was aware of the role the race played in the pandemic, with fewer people of color being vaccinated. But she says caring for her son is too important to shake.
“We are a black family, so the question is, ‘Will you really get the vaccine? “Yes, I will actually get the vaccine,” Williamson said. “It’s just a matter of trusting medicine.”