UTAH (ABC4)- On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration gave the final approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be administered to children 5-11. However, some parents in Utah remain hesitant about getting their children vaccinated.
According to a Nov. 2 survey from Quote Wizzard, the principal reason why parents in Utah are unsure about getting their children vaccinated is side effects. In their report, 65% of parents named that specific reason as the main reason they are hesitant to vaccinate their children.
In the survey, 34% of parents in the state say they are not sure if their children actually need the vaccine. 33% of parents surveyed also said they don’t trust the government. 20% of parents are waiting to see if the vaccine is safe for their child despite assurances from the manufacturer that the vaccines are safe. Only 5% of parents in Utah say they will not get their child vaccinated.
The State of Utah already ordered a shipment of vaccines for distribution among children. They plan to order additional shipments when the need arises. In an emailed statement, the Utah Dept. of Health told ABC4 that the federal government will initially send 127,800 children’s doses. In total, 368,000 kids ages 5-11 in Utah will be eligible for vaccination.
ABC4 spoke with University of Utah infectious diseases specialist Dr. Emily Spivak, MD who said once children 5-11 are fully vaccinated it will slow the spread of the virus within the community.
“I think it’s incredibly important to get the pandemic under control, that every parent read this information, talk to your doctor about it, try and get all the facts,” she said to ABC4’s Hailey Hendricks. “And I would highly encourage everyone to get their kids age 5-to-11 vaccinated.”
For more information on children and vaccinations, visit the state’s coronavirus website at coronavirus.utah.gov.
