Covid-19 vaccination rate for children is slow and worried doctors

The root cause of some communities lagging behind in covid vaccination of children is worried that the news flooded when scientists were making informed speculations about the behavior of the coronavirus. It reminds me of the early days of the pandemic, where my parents couldn’t stop clicking on news articles.

During the first months of the pandemic in the United States, few children tested positive and were hospitalized or died from Covid.

Testing was still in its infancy, and supply shortages often meant that only the most sick people were tested. So Many communities have fallen into blockadeKeeping children away from school, at home, and for many, the virus.

Researchers weren’t sure if the children weren’t infected with the virus or, overall, hadn’t experienced the most serious and noticeable effects of the disease. The child was not shown in the data and some parents felt that they were not at risk.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a lot of false information. How are children just immune? A pediatrician at the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington. Dr. Anisa Ibrahim said: “It’s the kind of message we’re trying to fight.”

Covid does not hospitalize or kill children at the same rate as adults, but they get sick and spread it, Suffering from serious consequences, Including death. Doctors say it’s difficult to know how a child’s infection progresses.

“It’s hard to predict who will get sick incredibly and who won’t get sick among young and healthy people,” Ibrahim said.

Almost 6.3 million children in the United States test positive for Covid-19, And at least 584 people have died, according to data from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

However, doctors and researchers say that the idea that children are less susceptible to the virus and therefore do not need a vaccine remains persistent among some parents.

Jessica Caralco, a researcher at the University of Indiana and an associate professor of sociology, has regularly interviewed 80 mothers since 2018 to evaluate vaccination decisions.

so Academic papers awaiting peer review, Calarco, reassuring messages from the CDC, other public health authorities, and news media have created a “moral sense of calm” about Covid’s risks, robbing some parents of urgency today. Claims.

Researchers now understand Covid’s risks more accurately and share their messages. However, many parents have told Calarco that they have ignored Covid’s news since the first flood of information.

“They are getting very tired,” Calarco said. “One mom I talked to said she had her head stuck in the sand and was no longer paying attention to Covid.”

It opens the door to false information and vaccine hesitation, Calarco said.

Dr. Melissa Stockwell, who heads the pediatric and adolescent health department at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center, said other factors are also working. In some states, access problems can make it difficult for families to take their children to vaccination clinics at their convenience.

Disinformation on social media can also help encourage vaccine hesitation. Some people see or experience medical racism that leads to distrust in the medical community. Language can be a barrier to information, and it is important to meet people where they are.

“We take it for granted that we can turn on NPR and NBC to see and know something in English,” said a member of the Somali community at an event in Somali in Seattle. Said Ibrahim, who reached out to Seattle.

An August poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that Hispanic and black parents Concerns about access barriers..

Unvaccinated children are at risk in several ways, according to Stockwell.

“With 35% coverage, children in that community don’t get the same level of protection as 80%,” she said. “It’s important for their own health, but it’s also important for returning to normal because we can get it at this point. It’s really hard for kids to miss school for a long time.”

Doctors said a single approach would not work to boost vaccination in the age group.

“There is no comprehensive statement,” Ibrahim said.

Doctors said every office visit was an opportunity to bring out vaccinations, connect with parents and relieve fear.

“The flow will change one for each family,” Stockwell said.

But the next wave of new vaccinations can be challenging.

The White House told the governor to look forward to this month Vaccinations for children ages 5 to 11 will begin early next month.. The Federal Advisory Board was scheduled to review data from Pfizer’s clinical trials in infants on Tuesday.

According to a Food and Drug Administration review of Pfizer data The benefits of vaccines will “clearly outweigh” that risk, No unexpected side effects. The FDA has modeled the effects of heart inflammation, a very rare side effect, in several scenarios. Authorities have found that since the pandemic began, only if the cases have fallen to the lowest point will the benefits of vaccination of this group outweigh the risks.

However Only one-third of parents said they would seek vaccination immediately For children aged 5 to 11 years, according to a poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Ibrahim hopes that some parents with young children will take a little longer and proceed cautiously.

“We expect parents to make decisions for their precious property, their children, so we can expect these decisions to be delayed,” she said.