Hastings Pediatrician Helped Get Approval for Kids COVID Vaccine

July 13, 2022, noon ·

Dr. Daniel Leonard
Dr. Daniel Leonard helped run vaccine trials in Hastings that led to approval of COVID vaccines for young children (Photo: South Heartland District Health Dept.)

A pediatrician who works in Hastings was involved in the clinical studies that led to the approval of the COVID vaccine for children ages 6 months and up.

Dr. Daniel Leonard works at Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings. He says the research showed the vaccine was safe for young children, and that it should be part of all routine vaccinations for children. In an interview provided by the South Heartland Health Department, Leonard said people from all over the country came to Hastings to participate in the clinical studies, and those studies were monitored by both the FDA and the companies producing the vaccines.

"The priority being the safety of what we were doing," he said. "Were subjects in the study responding appropriately to the vaccine? Were they doing so in a way that had very few side effects? And the overwhelming answer, fortunately, was 'yes'".

Leonard urged parents to get the vaccine for their kids. He said he personally has seen children with COVID having to deal with longer-term health problems such as asthma.

He said the COVID vaccine should become part of the regular set of vaccines that all children should get before they are 5-years-old.

To watch the entire presentation from the South Heartland District, click here.