COVID vaccine approved for young children: parents react

By Nigel Maxwell, paNOW

Amanda Morin has three children between the ages of five and nine years old, and despite Friday’s announcement from Health Canada that the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for children between the ages of five and 11 years old, she won’t be rushing her kids out the door to get it.

“I think the vaccine isn’t proven or hasn’t been studied long enough for long term effects,” Morin said. “I am fully vaccinated myself. I’m just worried about them and how they react to it.”

According to a clinical trial, the immune response in children between the ages of five and 11 was comparable to the response seen in people 16 to 25. The vaccine was found to be 90.7 per cent effective at preventing COVID in children aged five to 11 and there weren’t any side effects identified. AJ Stone has four kids, including twins that are nine, and she too expressed hesitancy.

“Even in Saskatchewan we have had three people under 19 pass away from COVID. It isn’t spreading and killing our kids but the long term side effects of vaccine have not been explored.”

Stone went on to explain that she herself had a bad reaction to the first dose, and was told by her doctor not to get the second one.

“I got the second anyways as exemptions are not accepted in Saskatchewan. So that would mean me not going to my kids sports or the museum or out for supper. I’m still sick from the vaccine. It is being forced way too much,” she said.

Meanwhile Ali Mysiorek is 100 per cent in support of a vaccine being approved for young children.

“My son has autism so sometimes it’s hard to think about if vaccines caused it just because of the general opinion but in reality I think the fact that vaccines eradicated all of not most other deadly diseases then why would this one be any different?” she said.

Krysta Alexson’s relayed to paNOW that if there was a Black Friday sales style for the vaccine, she would wait in line over night to be the first one to get it for her 8-year-old son who is immunocompromised.

“Unfortunately a lot of adults are not following the rules and putting our kids ar risk and that’s unfortunate for them,” she said.

Amanda Parenteau has two children under 11, and both are very active in the community.

“So both kids are dancing and playing ball and playing hockey, so it kind of just gives us a sense of calm and we can all be safe now,” she said, adding for months they have been living in a situation where the most the vulnerable people in their household have not been protected.

With respect to other parents concerns about potential side effects, Parenteau said she can understand where they are coming from but added she prefers to trust health-care professionals who would not put something in children that could hurt them.

“You know science has protected us for hundreds of years with vaccines so I tend to trust our health care and believe our doctors and scientists behind this know what they are doing,” she said.