900 places in LA County offering COVID vaccine for kids under 5

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Ted Watkins Memorial Park in South Los Angeles is one of more than 900 locations where kids under the age of 5 can get COVID-19 vaccines.

Shots are administered Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on its first day, parents lined up with their kids.

Semaya, who's only a year old, let out a big cry, but she quickly recovered after she saw just how many were on hand to see her get her first shot of the Pfizer vaccine. Her mom is relieved she's one of the first.

"This is just a nice layer of insurance knowing that she is vaccinated and that she should be protected from severe disease," said her mother, Lello Tesema.

More than 103,000 vaccine doses have been delivered to Los Angeles County vaccination sites, children's hospitals, pharmacies and pediatricians.

READ ALSO | COVID vaccine rollout begins for US children under 5. Here's what parents should know

The vaccine rollout for young children in the U.S. kicked off Tuesday after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the shots for Americans as young as 6 months old.

"Many of us have been waiting months for this day, so I'm very, very grateful that we have two vaccine products that we can offer our youngest patients," said Dr. Nava Yeganeh, Medical Director of Vaccine Preventable Disease Control. "Of course, Moderna, you get protected faster - two doses and you're done. With Pfizer, it takes a little longer because it's a three-dose vaccine, but both of them do a great job protecting children."

The most recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll finds just about 18% of parents of kids under 5 are willing to vaccinate their children right away.

Yeganeh is urging parents not to wait.

"Most parents want their children to be safe. They want their children to be healthy and we just have to do a better job of explaining how important it is to vaccinate your child," she said.

Tesema said she's trusted the process.

"I think the research and science have done their due diligence to make sure that the vaccines are safe," she said. "I would encourage them to have faith in science."

Faith in science is the message.

Also, be sure to call ahead because some large retail pharmacies are only offering the Pfizer vaccine while others are only offering Moderna.

While most young children don't always get seriously ill, L.A. County health officials want parents to remember one thing: If a young child gets sick, they can infect older family members, even if they're vaccinated because breakthrough infections can occur.

You're protecting your child and your family.