New Survey: Many Parents Hesitant About Vaccinating Kids Against COVID

A new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) revealed that many parents are still concerned about giving their kids vaccinations against COVID-19.

As CNN reported:

Most parents still have concerns about the safety of Covid-19 vaccines for children, and about three in 10 say that they will “definitely not” vaccinate their children against Covid-19, according a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Vaccine uptake has slowed among adolescents ages 12 to 17 in recent months. Only about half of parents say that their child in this age group has received at least one dose of vaccine, a share that has changed little since the fall, KFF found.

Around 29% of parents with kids ages 5 to 11 said their kid is vaccinated or they are going to be “right away.” However, “about a third of parents of children ages 5 to 11 say they want to wait and see how the vaccine is working for others before getting their younger child vaccinated. About three in ten parents say they will definitely not get their younger child vaccinated, and a further 7% say they will only do so if their school requires it,” the KFF report stated.

“Only about half of parents say that they are confident that Covid-19 vaccines are safe for adolescents and only about 44% of parents say the same for younger children, compared to about two-thirds (64%) who say the vaccine is safe for adults,” CNN noted.

KFF also reported, “Majorities of parents say they do not have enough information about the safety, effectiveness, or side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines in children.”

On Thursday, KFF also reported that other factors played a part in parents getting their kids vaccinated, with these affecting communities in different ways.

It noted:

Access barriers are also a concern for some parents when it comes to getting their children vaccinated. Hispanic parents, Black parents, and those with lower incomes are more likely than other parents to say they are concerned they might have to miss work to get their child vaccinated, that they won’t have a trusted place to go, or that they’ll have difficulty traveling to a vaccination location.

Schools also appear to play a role in the vaccination efforts. As KFF pointed out, around half of parents of children who are school-aged said their kid’s school gave them details about how to get their kid vaccinated against COVID. It added, “more than four in ten say their child’s school encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated.”

KFF noted, “The latest KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey of parents was conducted prior to the emergence of the omicron COVID-19 variant, and we will continue to track parents’ attitudes and intentions as more information emerges on the potential impact of this new variant on children.”

The ultimate push to get kids vaccinated appears to have slowed down.

On Wednesday, KFF reported:

Overall, we find that after an initial period of high demand, vaccination progress among those ages 5-11 has slowed significantly. The increase in new doses administered began slowing leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday and has continued since. In addition, like vaccination rates for adults, we find wide variation in coverage across the country.

The Wall Street Journal further reported, around “five million, or 18%, of the estimated 28.4 million U.S. children in the 5-to-11 age bracket have gotten at least one shot in the five weeks since they were cleared to get vaccinated, [federal] data show. The picture varies by region, with rates in several New England states above 30% and some states in the South far off the national pace, an analysis by The Wall Street Journal of the data shows.”

The news of these results comes as the FDA approved a booster shot for 16- and 17-year-olds on Thursday. The move updates the Emergency Use Authorization for the vaccine, allowing adolescents to get a third dose of the vaccine at least six months after their initial vaccination.

The moves raise questions as to how far the boosters will go, and what impact such authorizations might have on future mandates and school vaccination policies.

As reported by The Daily Wire, “Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla revealed during an interview on Wednesday that he believes Americans will eventually need a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as concerns grow regarding the Omicron variant.”

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