US parents of children gradually accept vaccines
Published: 05:02 PM,Feb 02,2022 | EDITED : 09:02 PM,Feb 02,2022
Three in 10 parents of children younger than age 5 say they intend to get their children vaccinated against the coronavirus as soon as shots become available for that age group, according to a survey published by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
That acceptance figure reflects parental caution about the shots but also growing acceptance of vaccinating young children.
The foundation’s Vaccine Monitor, which tracks attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccines, found an uptick in parents’ willingness to have their children get the shots across all age groups.
Still, the pace of vaccination among children is much lower than health experts would like. The younger the child, the more cautious the parents, experts say.
Among parents of 12- to 17-year-olds, the foundation reported, 61 per cent said their child had received at least one shot, up from 49 per cent in November.
Among parents of 5- to 11-year-olds, a third said their child had received at least one shot, up from 16 per cent in November.
And 31 per cent of parents of children younger than 5 said they would let their children get the shots as soon as they become available, up from 20 per cent in July.
Roughly one-third of those parents said they would wait and see whether their children would get the shots; about one-quarter said they definitely would not allow them to get vaccinated.
“Parents do seem to be proceeding with more caution when it comes to vaccinating their kids than making decisions for themselves,” said Liz Hamel, who directed the Kaiser research.
“Where parents of the under 5s are right now is pretty similar to where parents of 5- to 11-year-olds were the month before it was approved for that age group,” she added. Parents of young children will soon have to decide.
Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech, asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorise coronavirus vaccines for children under 5 years old as a two-dose regimen while the regulators continue to research how well three doses work.
Federal regulators are eager to review the data and authorise the shots on an emergency basis, perhaps by the end of February.
With children back in school amid a coronavirus surge fueled by the highly infectious omicron variant, “many parents report concerns about illness, exposures and shutdowns,” the Kaiser researchers wrote. Four in 10 parents said they had experienced school disruptions tied to Covid-19, the survey found.
Half the parents surveyed reported being worried that their child would become seriously sick from the coronavirus, and one-quarter of them said they are “very worried.”
The rate of vaccination among young children has remained lower than health experts had feared.
According to another recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation based on federal data, only 19 per cent of children ages 5-11 are fully vaccinated, and only 28 per cent have received one dose.
Hamel said the foundation dug into parents’ attitudes with a deeper survey in November. Although they did not ask about children under 5 at that time — because the vaccines for them were not close to being available — attitudes among parents of 5- to 11-year-olds provided strong clues, she said.
— The New York Times
That acceptance figure reflects parental caution about the shots but also growing acceptance of vaccinating young children.
The foundation’s Vaccine Monitor, which tracks attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccines, found an uptick in parents’ willingness to have their children get the shots across all age groups.
Still, the pace of vaccination among children is much lower than health experts would like. The younger the child, the more cautious the parents, experts say.
Among parents of 12- to 17-year-olds, the foundation reported, 61 per cent said their child had received at least one shot, up from 49 per cent in November.
Among parents of 5- to 11-year-olds, a third said their child had received at least one shot, up from 16 per cent in November.
And 31 per cent of parents of children younger than 5 said they would let their children get the shots as soon as they become available, up from 20 per cent in July.
Roughly one-third of those parents said they would wait and see whether their children would get the shots; about one-quarter said they definitely would not allow them to get vaccinated.
“Parents do seem to be proceeding with more caution when it comes to vaccinating their kids than making decisions for themselves,” said Liz Hamel, who directed the Kaiser research.
“Where parents of the under 5s are right now is pretty similar to where parents of 5- to 11-year-olds were the month before it was approved for that age group,” she added. Parents of young children will soon have to decide.
Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech, asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorise coronavirus vaccines for children under 5 years old as a two-dose regimen while the regulators continue to research how well three doses work.
Federal regulators are eager to review the data and authorise the shots on an emergency basis, perhaps by the end of February.
With children back in school amid a coronavirus surge fueled by the highly infectious omicron variant, “many parents report concerns about illness, exposures and shutdowns,” the Kaiser researchers wrote. Four in 10 parents said they had experienced school disruptions tied to Covid-19, the survey found.
Half the parents surveyed reported being worried that their child would become seriously sick from the coronavirus, and one-quarter of them said they are “very worried.”
The rate of vaccination among young children has remained lower than health experts had feared.
According to another recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation based on federal data, only 19 per cent of children ages 5-11 are fully vaccinated, and only 28 per cent have received one dose.
Hamel said the foundation dug into parents’ attitudes with a deeper survey in November. Although they did not ask about children under 5 at that time — because the vaccines for them were not close to being available — attitudes among parents of 5- to 11-year-olds provided strong clues, she said.
— The New York Times