As COVID-19 vaccines for children under age 5 could soon get government authorization, most parents do not appear to be enthusiastic about getting their children vaccinated.
A poll released by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 18% of parents of children under age 5 plan to get their kids vaccinated “right away.” A plurality, 38%, said they will “wait and see.” The poll found that 11% of parents would only vaccinate their children if it was required, and 27% said they would “definitely not” vaccinate their children.
The survey consisted of 1,899 adults conducted from April 12-26.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that children are much less likely to be vaccinated. The data finds that just 28.5% of children ages 5-11 and 58.9% of those ages 12-17 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That’s compared to 76.1% of the adult population being fully vaccinated.
Last week, Moderna announced it is seeking emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 6 months old, which could allow children younger than age 5 to begin getting vaccinated by the summer.
The vaccine would come in two doses, Moderna said.
“We are proud to share that we have submitted for authorization for our COVID-19 vaccine for young children,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna. “We believe mRNA-1273 will be able to safely protect these children against SARS-CoV-2, which is so important in our continued fight against COVID-19, and will be especially welcomed by parents and caregivers.”
The CDC said children face a lower risk of severe symptoms from COVID-19. Children with underlying health conditions have a higher risk of hospitalization and complications from COVID-19, the CDC added.