Convincing more parents to get their 5 to 11-year-old kids vaccinated may require more information: expert

By Casey Taylor

Nearly seven in ten Ontario parents with kids aged five to 11 say they will get their child vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as they become eligible.

That is according to a recent survey from Forum Research and it shows early uptake among kids in that age group may lag well behind current numbers for older youth and adults.

“I would say that it's quite common for people to feel more tentative about giving something to their kids than taking it themselves,” said Dr. Jeffrey Pernica, an infectious disease specialist at McMaster Children's hospital. “At the end of the day, the vast majority of parents are just trying to do their best for their children.”

The Forum polling shows one in ten respondents say they will not get their kid vaccinated, while the remaining 20 per cent are still undecided. Pernica says getting more parents off the fence may require more information about the vaccine itself.

“We are all going to have to work together to see if we can answer as many questions as possible for these people,” he said.

Some parents who remain undecided on the need for their child to be vaccinated say they don't believe it necessary given younger kids most often don't become severely sick but experts say, that's not a guarantee.

“Children still can get sick, have gotten sick, and I think this will be peace of mind for a lot of people,” Dr. Pernica said who also says the vaccine will help protect the kids who get it plus continue to add protection to other more vulnerable family members.

Another concern for parents when it comes to their kids may also be similar to a risk they may have for themselves, and that is a risk for myocarditis or a form of swelling of the heart.

“We need to think about that when we look at immunization of younger children because it may or may not happen quite as commonly,” Dr. Pernica said, adding that will be something Health Canada will be keeping a close watch on, especially as pediatric doses of the Pfizer vaccine begin to roll-out in the United States.

“What I typically say to families and patients that I see in my clinic is that vaccines are subjected to more scrutiny than just about any other medical intervention that is available to us,” he said. “Vaccines are not risk-free, there's always a possibility of harm, but certainly they're much safer than any antibiotic, any other regular medication that people often take.”

Much the same as the short-term and immediate concerns, many parents are also unsure where they stand given the potential for long-term side effects as well.

“People are often quick to take other medications for which we don't know what's going to happen in 30 years, I feel like there's always something in the news about some new miracle treatment and yet the same concerns are not raised about that,” said Dr. Pernica.

“We're all looking for better treatments for everything and any time you have something new, no one will be able to say with certainty what's going to happen in 30 years to somebody who takes that treatment.”

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