Utahns with children under 18 are split over vaccinating them against COVID-19, according to a new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll as federal approval nears for 5-to 11-year-olds to get the shots as soon as early November.
An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was expected to announce Tuesday whether to recommend a pediatric dose of the Pfizer vaccine for children as young as 5. There are several more steps in the approval process, including by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, set to meet next week on the issue.
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Vaccines are already available across the United States to anyone 12 and older, including the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson brands for those over 18 years old. The FDA panel was told that COVID-19 is one of the top 10 causes of death among children 5-11, with nearly 100 dying nationwide from the virus.
In Utah, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of two young people under 18 years old. In March, months before the vaccination age limit was lowered from 16, a Salt Lake County boy between 1 and 14 years old died from the virus and in September, the death of an unvaccinated girl believed to be 15 to 17 years old was reported.
Less than 48% of Utahns 12 to 15 years old are fully vaccinated against the deadly virus, meaning it’s been two weeks or more since their final dose, while 55% of all Utahns, including more that 86% of those 65 and older who are considered the most vulnerable to COVID-19, can say the same.
The results of the new poll for the Deseret News and the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics suggests why.
Just over half the Utahns polled, 53%, said they did not have children under 18 when asked to describe their reactions to children and teenagers getting a COVID-19 vaccine as the parent or guardian of a child in that age group.
The rest were divided in their support of vaccinating children and teens, with 10% saying their children were already eligible for the shots and had gotten them, and another 12% planning to get their children vaccinated as soon as they became eligible.
But another 10% said they wanted to wait and see how the vaccine works before they’d get their children the shots, while 8% had determined their children would not receive a COVID-19 vaccine and 6% had not yet decided what to do.
Among the Utah parents who’d made up their minds not to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, most said their main reason was that they didn’t believe the vaccine was necessary, 46%. Another 16% said they were worried about side effects, 11% don’t trust vaccines, 3% objected for religious reasons and 24% had other reasons.
The poll was conducted Oct 14-21 by Dan Jones & Associates of 746 registered Utah voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.54 percentage points for the full sample. For the question asked only of parents who said they were not getting their children vaccinated, the margin of error is plus or minus 12.25 percentage points.
Dr. Neal Davis, medical director of pediatric community-based care for Intermountain Healthcare, said he wasn’t surprised by the results.
“I think that kind of squares with my experience in clinic, in talking with parents,” Davis said. “I have a lot of families in my clinic that are very anxious to be able to get their kids vaccinated. So yes. Then there are some who are kind of that wait-and-see group, and then some who don’t want to. Then we have a good conversation.”
The Murray-based pediatrician said the two concerns parents most often bring up about the COVID-19 vaccine is whether it is needed since cases tend to be milder in children and if what they’ve heard about possible side effects is true.
While children typically aren’t hit as hard as adults by the virus, he said he tries to make it clear they also can become seriously ill.
“COVID doesn’t impact children and teenagers as much as it impacts adults, especially adults at risk. And it’s also true that children can be impacted significantly. It’s very important to protect them when we can. Those are not mutually exclusive statements,” Davis said.
Parents are told the vaccine is needed, he said, because “we have had many children hospitalized in our state with COVID,” and some suffer “really significant” after effects, including multisymptom inflammatory syndrome or MIS-C, as well as lingering symptoms known as long COVID.
The doctor said he focuses on building trust with parents, by answering their questions about the vaccine.
“I think it’s really important to listen to people and help them feel respected,” Davis said. “Then I talk about their concerns and make sure I understand them. I present the data that I’m aware of and then I let them know that I respect their view. We will work together and always do what they want to do for their child.”
Many come around, he said, although it can take time. If the vaccine is approved for children, Davis said his hope is that all of them can be protected by the shots, but he also wants “every parent to feel respected as they care for their child.”
The Utah Department of Health said Tuesday that 109,000 pediatric doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been pre-ordered from the federal government and should begin shipping at the end of this week. But the department said the doses cannot be administered until federal regulators give final approval, likely next week.
The FDA advisory panel recommendation will go to the agency’s acting director, Dr. Janet Woodcock, then her decision is reviewed by a CDC advisory panel and finally, the CDC’s director, Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky. Walensky will issue the final guidance for vaccinating children.
New poll reveals how Utah parents feel about getting COVID-19 vaccine for their kids
Source: Gabriella Pinoys
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