Worried about COVID vaccine for your kids? Here’s the message from a Fort Worth doctor
Christina Robinson said she and her team are preparing for the day vaccines are authorized for children 5 to 11.
As the medical director of the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s pediatric mobile clinic, Robinson said appointments have become “science lessons” as she answers questions about viruses and spread. Not only is she now fielding questions about COVID-19 vaccines, but all vaccines.
An FDA advisory committee plans to discuss Pfizer’s request for COVID-19 vaccine authorization for children 5 to 11 on Oct. 26.
Robinson said if parents avoid the vaccine, they won’t necessarily avoid harm: Long haul COVID symptoms could be worse than any potential side effects associated with a vaccine.
A nationwide survey of 1,745 parents found one-third were “very unlikely” to have their children vaccinated against the virus, according to Pediatrics, a a journal for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Although cases are declining Tarrant County those younger than 15 are making up a bigger proportion of cases, accounting 26% of the county’s new cases, according to the Tarrant County.
Robinson and her team saw few illnesses in children early in the pandemic, due to stay at home orders and mask mandates, she said. Mental health problems initially rose then plateaued as the world began to open up, she said, but now that schools have re-opened, children are getting sick again.
“So the saddest part, I think, is that we knew that those ... who were unvaccinated would be the ones who would be the target, especially with the Delta variant, and unfortunately all of our children who were in elementary school were not eligible to be vaccinated,” Robin said
More than 12,000 students in Fort Worth school district have had to quarantine after being in close contract with someone who had it.
Though her team has been doing clinics for children 12 and up, Robinson said she’s already begun to have conversations with the families she sees about getting their children vaccinated and how to do it. Mostly, the concerns she’s heard have been about safety. She and her team are already prepping for the day approval comes through for the younger kids.
“We really want the day that they say, ‘Go’ — that we’re able to then begin administering the vaccine,” she said.
Heading into the fall and winter, Robinson said she and her team were worried about flu cases spiking on top of COVID.
“We need to try to get as many kids as possible vaccinated with COVID and as many kids as possible vaccinated for the flu as quickly as possible so that as we get into November and December when we typically see those huge rises and surges in flu, and most likely COVID again, you won’t have to figure out, ‘Oh OK, do you have flu or do you have COVID?’” she said.
A spokesperson from the Tarrant County Department of Health said officials would not comment on the challenges and concerns about the vaccine rollout for those 5 to 11 until the emergency use authorization is approved.
Parents weigh in
Parents of children under 12 have had to rely on masking, even though Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order prohibits mandates across the state and in schools.
There’s a certain sense of anxiety that comes with sending the kids to school, said Russ Boyd of southwest Fort Worth.
As the school year approached, he knew there was little he could do to protect his four kids — all between 5 and 11 — and said he and his wife are sending the kids to school with a mask. But when his kindergartner loses a mask or it forgets it, no one’s obligated to tell them to put it back on. So far, one of Boyd’s daughters has had to quarantine after being exposed to the virus at school. She didn’t end up testing positive.
Dedrick Davison, who lives in Mansfield and whose wife works as a teacher, said he will get his 9-year-old vaccinated as soon as possible. Throughout the pandemic, their son has been on a vitamin regimen.
When Brandy Austin of Burleson heard the news about Pfizer’s request, she wanted to know how soon she could get her 5-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter the shot. Austin said her family are avid travelers, but that during the pandemic they have opted to take their kids to safer places, though she admits it’s been a challenge finding spots.
The family just recently got back from a trip to California where she said people were good about masking, though they had to eat outside at most restaurants because vaccination cards were required. Once the kids are vaccinated, Austin said she wanted to take the kids to Europe.
For Laney Hawes in north Fort Worth, there was some trepidation with the decision. She said her 11-year-old daughter had the virus about a month ago with mild symptoms — a two-day runny nose and sore throat. Hawes said she wondered if the vaccine would be worth it considering potential side effects.
In the end, she decided the benefits outweighed the risks. Hawes said the community was all in this together.
“I’ve just seen so much heartache and just so many lost loved ones and it’s devastating,” she said. “I’m just a firm believer in the common good ... As Texans isn’t who we are, we watch out for each other? Right? We’re not all in this alone.”
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
