Brady Beecham, M.D.
Meet the Maximizer
Dr. Brady Beecham talks about moving on from COVID-19.
Brady Beecham, MD, is a family physician and the Medical Director at Two Rivers Public Health Department.
How do you feel COVID-19 has affected the lives of children?
COVID has affected kids in so many ways. They can’t go to school. They haven’t been able to participate in normal activities, just like the rest of us. We’ve got to get kids vaccinated so we can open up the world again. It’s important for them. It’s important for all of us.
Why is it important for kids to receive the COVID-19 vaccine?
There are three important reasons to vaccinate kids. Number one, it protects their health. A lot of kids don’t get very sick from COVID-19, but some get very sick or even die, or have long-term consequences. And we don’t know which kid will have a serious case so it’s important to vaccinate all kids to protect their health. Number two, vaccinating kids protects others. A kid who’s vaccinated doesn’t transmit COVID nearly as much to family or at school or in the community. And number three, having your kids vaccinated allows them to participate in the activities that they like, go to school, be in sports, and it allows us all to move forward again. We all want to move forward, and that means getting vaccinated.
How does vaccinating kids against COVID-19 benefit you personally?
I’m a mom of two kids, a seven-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter. It’s really important to me that my own kids are vaccinated. I vaccinated my seven-year-old and when it’s recommended, I’m going to vaccinate my three-year-old, too.
The other thing I’d say is when my own son had his COVID vaccine, he was a little sick and he complained and said he didn’t feel all that great. But he said, mom, I know it’s because my body is learning to fight against COVID. I said, that’s the ticket. I just thought that was so, so sweet when he said that.
How does vaccinating kids against COVID 19 benefit the community?
We all want to move on from COVID and getting vaccinated is the way to move on. Everybody needs to do their part. So, if you haven’t vaccinated your kids, do it, get yourself vaccinated, get your kids vaccinated. Let us move on.
What would you tell someone who says, “I’m on the fence. I don’t know if I want to get my child vaccinated. Why should I?”
For people who haven’t gotten vaccinated already, there are reasons that they haven’t done it. But what I would say is these are very safe and very effective vaccines. Keep your mind open and move forward as soon as you feel comfortable getting the vaccines. They’re safe, they’re effective, and they will help us all get out of this.