Parents are hesitant to give their children COVID-19 immunization despite the availability of
vaccines. Parents fear the vaccine because of its potential adverse side effects on their children;
they mistrust the vaccine's safety because it is too recent, and some parents are not entirely aware
of COVID-19's severity in children. The media's coverage of the vaccine and parents' propensity
to rely on social media posts rather than facts and medical reports are further reasons why there
is so much debate surrounding the immunization of children. A report by Goldman et al. was
completed to test parents' willingness to vaccinate their children; the survey involved 1541
caregivers arriving with their children at 16 pediatric Emergency Departments across six
countries such as Spain, the U.S.A, Japan, and Switzerland from March 26 to May 31, 2021. The
survey determined that "65.2% of caregivers intend to vaccinate their children" when the
vaccines are available and "33% of caregivers do not plan on vaccinating their children against
COVID-19". When further analyzed, the parents who agreed to vaccinate their children are
"parents of children in their older teenage years, children, with no chronic illnesses and that are
up to date in their vaccinations." Those parents that refuse to give the vaccine reported on the
survey state they fear the novelty of the vaccine, highlighting that by educating caregivers on the
COVID-19 vaccination the number of vaccinated children could potentially increase.
Furthermore, another survey performed to test the parents' receptiveness to the vaccine was done
by Northeastern, Harvard, and Northwestern University. This survey took place from February to
July 2021 across the 50 states of the U.S.A. and included responses from 21,700 adults who
reported living with children. The survey revealed trends in parents' opinions of COVID-19
immunization for children under 18 years old. When asked if they would vaccinate their
children, both mothers and parents responded to the survey. The survey showed that "Mothers of
children from 0-5 years old are 20% more likely to deny the vaccine than mothers of children
from 12-17 years old."
Along with differences because of age, the survey also showed that mothers without bachelor's
degrees are 10% more likely to refuse the vaccine than mothers and fathers that have a bachelor's
degree or higher. Both surveys show that mothers are more resistant to vaccinating their children
than fathers. Throughout the period from March 2020- July 2021, there is a visible increase in
vaccine receptibility among parents. As COVID-19 progressed, more parents on the survey
stated that their children would be vaccinated or had already received the vaccine. The amount of
children's vaccinations in the United States varies per age group. The American Academy of
Pediatrics states, "10% of children from 6 months-4 years old have received the first dose", "34%
of children from 5-11 years have received the first dose," and "48% of children 12-15 years have
received the first dose", this data shows that the percentage of vaccinated children remains low
even as vaccines become more available, compared to the percentage of adults who have
received at least one dose of the vaccine which is 79%, a much larger population of adults have
received the vaccine than children. Many children remain unvaccinated COVID-19 vaccinations
do not only protect them but might provide an indirect advantage in protecting the older
unvaccinated people. As vaccines become widely available, the debate on their safety and
effectiveness for children continues.
