“No compromise”: How child COVID-19 vaccination polarizes parents-nationwide

when COVID-19 (New Coronavirus Infection) The vaccine has been approved in Canada and is now available to young children. Ontario’s mother, Alyssa Beauchamp, doesn’t rush to catch her five-year-old son.

Three 22-year-old mothers from Hamilton, Ontario are fully vaccinated and are worried about how their oldest mother will respond to the vaccine.

“You might want to wait a bit for how the other kids react before you get into your son,” she said.

“My kids are completely vaccinated with all the other vaccines. They are up to date with their shots. This alone makes me a little nervous,” she told Global News.

Breastfeeding consultant Oksana Laurinaviciene, who lives in Toronto, is in a similar predicament. Her husband is “200%” in favor of vaccination of two children aged 9 and 11, but Laurinaviciene is worried about potential side effects.

As part of that trial Pfizer and BioNTech said the data Their COVID-19 shots showed that they elicited a strong immune response among 2,268 children aged 5-11, consistent with those previously observed in children aged 16-25.

Dr. Bill Gruber, Senior Vice President of Pfizer, told The Associated Press.

Despite her concerns, Laurinaviciene says she is likely to promote vaccination of children so they can stay in school and participate in extracurricular activities.

“If you want to sing in a choir, take piano lessons, or go to the pool to travel, you need to get it,” said a 42-year-old woman.

The question of whether to vaccinate children against COVID-19 has become a polarized issue for Canadian parents.

According to new Angus Reed’s survey published on Monday, Half of Canadian parents are ready to vaccinate their children aged 5-11 as soon as the shot is approved, but 23% say they don’t. Nearly one in five said they would eventually vaccinate their children, but at first they would wait for a while, but 9% were uncertain.

The survey is conducted as follows Pfizer formally requested Health Canada Approve shots for the next 5-11 year old child Submission of clinical trial data earlier this month..

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has already been approved in Canada Adolescents over 12 years old..

Data from Pfizer’s Phase 3 study in adults showed that more than 2,000 participants between the ages of 12 and 15 participated, and the adolescent vaccine safety profile was similar to that of the elderly. ..

Peer-reviewed study published in The New England Journal of Medicine On July 15, the Pfizer vaccine for recipients aged 12 to 15 years was found to have a good safety profile, a higher immune response than young adults, and was highly effective against COVID-19. ..

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Pfizer requires Health Canada to approve vaccines for children ages 5-11

The debate over the COVID-19 vaccine has already separated the Canadian vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. Voting show..

“Canadian parents reflect how they feel about vaccination, especially at the beginning of a pandemic when vaccines are just starting to come online,” said Shachi Karl, president of Angus Reed. I am.

Lily Costur, a Canadian mother in her thirties, said she was “too afraid” to inject two boys aged 7 and 3 with the COVID-19 vaccine and was “still .” Said.

“We all have choices and we need to make the best decisions for our children,” said Coster, who lives in Mississauga.

Health Canada says it will only give Pfizer’s pediatric shots a green light after a thorough review of the data and confirming that the benefits outweigh the potential risks of the younger age group.

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Uncertainty remains while Pfizer waits for Health Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine approval for children

On the other hand, the issue of vaccination of children took parents to court.

Earlier this month A judge in the Ontario Superior Court has settled the dispute Among parents living apart over whether to vaccinate three teenage children with COVID-19.

The mother claimed that her father refused to send two of the triplets that lived with him directly to school.

The father insists that the children want to go to school directly, but wants to be vaccinated with COVID-19 first, and the mother refuses to show a health card or other identification card, so the children may do so. I could not do it.

Following public health instructions, Judge Charney ordered on October 1 to make the vaccine available to children wishing to be vaccinated.

In Ontario Health Management Consent Law, There is no minimum age of ability to make treatment decisions.

However, this varies from state to state. In Quebec, the age of consent for medical care is 14 years or older. In British Columbia You must be at least 19 years old To make health-related decisions.

Kevin Caspersz, senior associate at Shulman & Partners LLP, said the latest ruling sets a precedent for other unsightly parents regarding COVID-19 jabs for children.

“If a judge or court decides that it is in the best interests for children to be vaccinated, that is the direction of the decision,” he said.

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Canadians worried about COVID-19 spreading in schools

Shulman & Partners LLP, a family law firm based in Toronto, received approval from Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children over the age of 12 and called from divorced parents about disagreements about vaccination of children. Has begun to receive, Caspersz said. Global news for May.

According to experts, disagreements between separated and divorced parents are generally rare when it comes to vaccination of children against other illnesses. However, the gap is widening in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Fatima Kucker, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at CHU Santo Justin in Montreal, said:

As misinformation spread on social media, vaccination questions from both children and parents became a “new life,” she said.

Dr. Anna Banergi, a pediatric infectious disease expert at the University of Toronto, said her parents’ concerns were due to unanswered questions.

“I think it’s more of a vaccine issue than hesitation,” she told Global News in a previous interview.

“If people find it safe and it is the best option for their children, more people will accept the vaccine, especially if they want to send their children to school for mental health. I think it will be. “

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“Parents are asking all the right questions” as the COVID-19 vaccine for children is awaiting approval: Expert

For many parents, it’s a “controversial” issue, said Laurinaviciene, one of the Facebook group admins. Toronto mama..

“People are losing good relationships with their families from the point of view of your vaccination, so this is a big problem,” she said.

From a legal point of view, when it comes to vaccination, Caspersz said, “There is no compromise.”

“The child is either vaccinated or not.”

He encouraged the feuding parents to seek mediation to help them work towards the decision. Another option is to arbitrate in a court-like, but private setting, or to file a proceeding in a court where the judge makes the decision.

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Questions about COVID-19 vaccine and children

Whether or not the parents are on the same page, Kakkar says the most important thing is to avoid fighting for the vaccine in front of the children. This is because it can increase family division and adversely affect children.

In case of undecided or disagreement, she advised her parents to seek outside medical opinion from her child’s pediatrician or family doctor.

“It’s important to have these discussions between parents, but it’s important not to bring children in the middle of a conflict,” she said.

“We don’t want to cause more family conflict than it already exists, as children may want the vaccine for a variety of reasons and be forced to choose the parent’s side.”

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