Viral Reddit Thread: 'No One Cares About Those Too Young To Vaccinate'

After one mom discussed how “nobody cares” about her daughter under two who can’t be vaccinated, fellow parents shared their thoughts

Being a parent to young kids brings challenges few could ever adequately prepare for — and that was well before a global pandemic arrived and added untold levels of anxiety to those whose responsibility it is to keep their kids safe and protected. And while parents no doubt began to breathe a sigh of relief when kids between 5 and 12 were given the green light to receive their COVID-19 vaccines, there are still millions of kids in this country alone who aren’t yet able to receive any sort of protection against the virus — an alarming reality as both Delta and Omicron are causing surges in most states nationwide.

American parents receive little to no support as is — naturally, that fact hasn’t changed even as more and more children become infected with COVID-19 and parents have no choice but to send their littles to daycare and school as they juggle work and other family responsibilities. One mom in the r/beyondthebump Reddit community recently shared her thoughts about how “no one cares about the ‘too young to vaccinate,'” with plenty of other parents chiming in to share their thoughts on the unending fear and worry of not being able to vaccinate her toddler yet.

“My daughter is a bit under two. She obviously cannot be vaccinated yet,” she shared, adding that though she and her husband are both boosted, she feels “extreme COVID anxiety.”

“We both need to work, and don’t have close family, so she goes to daycare. She has been quarantined twice in a month at this point and four times this year. But… nobody cares. Work asks how I am going to get things done while I’m home. We both are completely out of PTO and they offer no help. We have lost thousands of dollars because there is also no federal support for us. Everyone acts like I am greatly disrupting their life by having to care for my kid, or like I’m shameful because she was quarantined,” she continued.

“Every exposure sends me into a hyperventilating panic. I am terrified of her getting COVID. I feel like I have done everything I reasonably can to try and keep her safe and everyone around us is actively working against that. I am completely past my breaking point.”

The post received more than 300 comments and 1,000 upvotes, with fellow parents sharing their equally heartbreaking realities dealing with anti-vaccine, anti-mask views, coming to work and school with “just a cold,” and relatives who refuse to get vaccinated and thus can’t provide support. That’s not even mentioning children who have underlying conditions that could make them extra vulnerable to severe illness — a horrifying reminder that those with chronic health conditions are viewed as disposable or “less than” to those who like to tout the statistics on COVID being “like the flu.”

Though it seems likely there will be a vaccine for children under 5 sometime next year, that likely offers little comfort to those who are bracing for the current winter surge with no options for their littlest kids. Just know that our hearts are with you and we know you’re doing all you can against what feels like insurmountable odds these days.