Not all parents welcomed the news that the FDA granted emergency use authorization to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 12-15 years old. Some moms and dads wanted to know how quickly they could get a vaccine appointment for their kids. However, new statistics show a significant percentage of parents will pass on giving their child a COVID vaccine.
Child COVID Vaccine Statistics
A recent survey by K Health revealed that parents are split on whether they plan to vaccinate their children against COVID-19.
- 23% of parents are not planning to get their child vaccinated for COVID
- 32% of parents aren’t sure whether they will vaccinate their child
- 21% of parents feel the COVID vaccine will be extremely safe
Another survey showed an even higher percentage of parents, 48%, do not intend to vaccinate their child against COVID-19. Axios-Ipsos conducted that survey.
The short duration that the vaccine has been around is a significant concern that parents cite.
- 47% are concerned that there’s not been enough research done on COVID vaccines to give them to children
- 30% are worried about the potential long-term side effects
Parents who want their child vaccinated have different motivations. The most influential factor was social activities.
- 58% want to enjoy gatherings with family or other social events
- 48% want to travel this summer travel and participate in other summer activities
- 43% cited mandates by school or daycare
Parents are divided on whether they think vaccines should be required for children to return to school.
- 53% of parents believe they should be required
- 47% do not
The survey also revealed that parents have a preference for the Pfizer vaccine over the other available vaccines — 46%, versus 19% who wanted them to get the Moderna vaccine.
“That parental preference is largely due to the fact that the Pfizer vaccine is anointed with successfully being the first COVID vaccine to achieve EUA status. That, in itself, has winning merit. Also, the Pfizer vaccine was originally approved for children down to age 16 years, thus has a long and large research database on vaccinated kids ages 16 and 17 years. It only gained popularity when it received FDA approval for children 12-15 years,” Dr. Chelsea Johnson, Associate Lead of Pediatrics at K Health, tells Parentology.
Other information discovered from the K-Health survey:
- 37% of parents either haven’t been vaccinated for COVID or aren’t planning to get the vaccine
- 30% of parents plan to let their children resume pre-pandemic activities once they’re vaccinated
K Health is an app that uses artificial intelligence combined with the option to text with a doctor or nurse practitioner. Parentology has previously reported on the growing popularity of these telehealth apps.
While it is true that most children do not even show symptoms, there have been cases of severe illness and even some deaths. An increasing number of children are getting COVID-19. At the beginning of the pandemic, only about 3% of cases in the US were in the pediatric population. That percentage has risen to over 22%.
In addition to the potential risk to the child, they can also spread the virus. The CDC urges everyone over the age of 12 to get vaccinated.