New data shows Suffolk's COVID-19 vaccination rate among the youngest eligible age group to get vaccinated is low in comparison to the rest of New York.

According to the state Department of Health's vaccine tracker, Suffolk is below the state average for those 12-15 years old. Nassau is above average.

The statewide average for those 12-15 with their first shot is 32.1%, with 22.8% are fully vaccinated.

In Nassau, 35.9% of that group have at least one dose of the vaccine, but in Suffolk the number is 24.5%.

Dr. Sharon Nachman is the director of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital. She says some of the reasons why Suffolk's numbers are down might be because of the limited access to public transportation in the county, and parents may have been too busy during the school year.

Nachman says she hopes to see the numbers increase this summer.

"Now, most of the pharmacies also have vaccines, and it'll be a lot easier for parents in each of the towns to go to their local pharmacy and bring their children and get the kids vaccinated,” she says.

Nachman says even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking into cases of heart inflammation in adolescents after getting the vaccine, those young adults got better. She says parents who are hesitant about vaccinating their kids should talk to their pediatricians.

The New York Health Department's Vaccine Tracker can be found online.