Sadia Corey
VP, Client Development
4 October 2021
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement in September outlining anxieties surrounding vaccinations for children under twelve.
With parents concerned for children going back to school, pressure to get vaccines rolling out for the youngest demographic is in full force.
Like every vaccine decision made throughout the pandemic, the FDA is working around the clock to ensure that all necessary precautions are taken during clinical trials for testing. When voicing their study, the FDA acknowledged that as children are still growing and developing, “robust clinical trials of adequate size” and possibly different doses or different strength formulations need to be regulated and evaluated extensively.
With parents concerned for children going back to school, pressure to get vaccines rolling out for the youngest demographic is in full force. Although hesitation does persist with individuals skeptical about vaccines more generally and if young children should receive vaccines.
Savanta conducted a study in September and the data states that 58% of Americans with children under the age of 12 plan to vaccinate their children once the COVID-19 vaccination is available, while 63% of these parents have received the COVID-19 vaccine themselves.
With just over 1 out of 3 parents not vaccinated, Savanta wanted to understand the reasons for their decision. The main reason for not wanting to get vaccinated is that people are fearful of possible side effects that can be harmful at 44%. Other reasons include wanting to wait for more medical information to be published (33%), have already tested positive for COVID-19 in the past (13%), the COVID-19 vaccine violates religious beliefs (9%), and the family disapproves of the vaccine (8%).
Comparatively, parents share their justification for not wanting to vaccinate their children under the age of 12. Of the parents who do not plan to vaccinate their children under 12 once the COVID-19 vaccine is available, 47% say they won’t vaccinate them because they are fearful of possible side effects that can be harmful. 44% say they won’t vaccinate them because it is too soon and they are waiting for more medical research, 33% say they believe in vaccinations, although they don’t believe in the COVID-19 vaccine, and 15% say they don’t believe in vaccinating their kids.
This impact on children’s lives is not inconsequential, with still an ever-increasing number of hospitalized cases of children. While children are still less likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 than adults, it is important to be educated on medical decisions and listen to the advice of your medical team. The results from our poll are clear; to get more people vaccinated in the US, including children under 12 once it is available, parents need to feel confident with the facts that this is a safe vaccination with ample research behind it proving its safety and efficacy.
