ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The delta variant proved COVID-19 to be much more of a threat to children than it was early on.

That’s why infectious disease pediatrician Dr. Kenneth Alexander said parents need to get their children ages 5 to 11 years old vaccinated as soon as shots are available for them.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

“We’ve got to get over that sort of magic number of 80%, and that’s on the basis of how infectious this is,” Alexander said. “And children are a big part of this.”

READ: Orange County to discipline unvaccinated employees over COVID-19 vaccine mandate

The age group makes up about 9% of Orange County’s population but accounts for nearly 20% of all its COVID-19 cases.

READ: Florida kids to receive over $1B in school lunch relief

Alexander said we need to teach children that getting vaccinated is part of growing up, and protecting the community.

Merck says pill to treat COVID-19 reduces risk of death, hospitalization by half (NCD)

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.