COVID safety and vaccines for your California child: What to know ahead of the holidays
Even if the risk for COVID-19 is lower for some people, it isn’t zero.
And that goes for your children too, according to a University of California, Davis, pediatrician. Cases are on the rise again in California as we are full-swing in holiday season, a new variant has hit the West Coast and kids have no exception to the disease. But many parents are still hesitant of approved vaccines.
As family gathers for the holidays, what should you know about your child’s safety and vaccines? You can use the menu below to navigate the story.
Why some parents are hesitant
Parents who are hesitant to get vaccinated are highly unlikely to vaccinate their children, according to a new pediatrics report.
The study, which was launched in March 2020 and was conducted by medical journal Jama Pediatrics, asked 1,162 parents with 1,651 children ages 2 to 17 if they would immediately vaccinate their children.
It found that vaccinated parents or those willing to get vaccinated were more likely to have vaccinated their eligible children or intended to immediately vaccinate them when they became eligible, compared with vaccine-hesitant parents. The study was published on Dec. 6.
In June, 842 parents in the peer-reviewed study were already vaccinated or vaccine-willing, while 298 parents were vaccine-hesitant. A total of 212 children ages 12 to 15 and 135 children ages 16 to 17 received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Among the vaccine-willing and vaccinated parents, 10% said they wouldn’t immediately vaccinate their children because of their concern of the long-term adverse effects in children.
The available scientific data negates this concern, said Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.
“That’s why the FDA, when they were evaluating COVID vaccines, they required the full cohort of study patients before emergency authorization to have safety data for two months after vaccinations,”Blumberg said. “So there’s no theoretical reason to think that there would be any long-term side effects that would occur after that time, there’s no data that would show that.”
Parental hesitancy to vaccinate against COVID-19 differs by parental race, ethnicity, gender, education level, previous experience with COVID-19 and the child’s age.
Black and Hispanic parents showed lower willingness to immediately vaccinate children compared with parents who were non-Hispanic white, younger and did not have a college education.
Parents who contracted the COVID-19 virus or who knew someone who died from it reported a higher willingness to vaccinate their children, according to the study.
According to the pediatrics medical journal study, parental vaccine hesitancy is an issue for schools resuming in-person instruction, potentially requiring regular testing, strict mask-wearing and physical distancing. But parents of school-aged children indicated a higher willingness to vaccinate them if they currently attend school.
After more than 90% of California students enrolled in in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year, California became the first state to announce plans to require student vaccinations on Oct. 1 – adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of vaccination requirements for schools like measles, mumps and rubella, according to the official Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom webpage.
What if your child can’t get vaccinated?
For children under 5 who are currently ineligible for the vaccine, Blumberg said it’s important for those 2 and up to wear well-fitting masks, especially during holiday gatherings. He also said to make sure that people who are unvaccinated are masked, to not be around sick people and limit interaction with unvaccinated individuals living outside the home.
“It’s important for parents to know that vaccination is the best way to protect your children against COVID,” Blumberg said. “It’s the best way to protect them from being hospitalized or dying from COVID, it’s the best way to protect them from mild carditis...it’s also the best way to protect them from longer-term issues such as long COVID.”
How COVID-19 has affected children in California
According to the California Department Of Public Health, which was last updated Dec. 2, those under the age 5 account for more than 120,000 cases and 12 deaths in California since the pandemic began. Those 5 to 17 account for about 600,000 cases and 28 deaths.
“Many people don’t realize that for children — although the prognosis is better and they generally have milder disease — that just because the risk is lower doesn’t mean the risk is zero,” Blumberg said. “They can get severe diseases, they can be hospitalized with COVID-19, they can die from COVID-19 so it’s important for them to be protected for their own health.”
Less than 10% of those ages 5 to 11 in California are fully vaccinated while those ages 12 to 17 are 62.5% vaccinated, according to California’s official vaccinated progress data page, which was last updated Thursday.
In Sacramento County, those ages 1 to 9 account for more than 10,000 cases and those ages 10 to 19, account for more than 18,700 cases, according to a Thursday update of the county’s public health epidemiology COVID-19 dashboard.
About 8% of Sacramento County residents ages 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated and about 58% of those ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated.
Vaccination eligibility in Sacramento County
Anyone in Sacramento County age 5 and older is eligible for the vaccine. At this time, children ages 5 to 17 are only eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.
Vaccinations are free and available regardless of immigration status or insurance coverage, according to the official Sacramento County Department of Health Services page.
10 things vaccine-hesitant parents need to know
Here’s what you need to know about the vaccine, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, if you’re still hesitant to vaccinate yourself or your children:
- The COVID-19 vaccine was created quickly but was carefully tested for safety. The vaccines were made using processes developed and tested over many years, They are designed to make and thoroughly test vaccines quickly in case of an infectious disease pandemic like COVID-19.
- COVID-19 vaccine side effects are temporary and do not mean you’re sick. The vaccine does not contain live coronavirus.
- Getting the COVID-19 vaccine can protect you from getting sick because it works with your immune system so your body will be ready to fight the virus if you’re exposed to it.
- Diversity in COVID-19 vaccine testing helped assess safety and effectiveness by clinical trial participants.
- You can probably still get vaccinated if you are allergic to certain foods, insects, latex and other common allergens. If you have ever had a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine, discuss it with your doctor.
- People of color are especially vulnerable to severe COVID-19 and more likely to be working front-line, essential jobs that cannot be performed from home.
- If you already had COVID-19, getting the vaccine will add extra protection. If you get reinfected, you’re more than two times higher at risk of COVID-19 than those who were infected and got vaccinated.
- More vaccinations mean a chance to get back to normal.
- Getting vaccinated for COVID-19 helps others, especially older people and those living with chronic medical conditions, from getting sick. Since every infection gives the virus a chance to mutate, being vaccinated helps prevent variants.
- John Hopkins Medicine agrees and strongly supports the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention DC and other organizations that recommend that all pregnant or lactating individuals, including those trying to get pregnant, be vaccinated.
Where to get your vaccine
Here are a few places to get your or your child’s vaccine in Sacramento County:
COMMUNITY VACCINE SITES
Oak Park COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic
Address: 3860 Fourth Ave.
Contact: 916-349-6980
Hours of operation, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays
Call to make an appointment.
Pucci’s Pharmacy
Address: 3257 Folsom Blvd.
Contact: 916-442-5891
Hours of Operation: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday
Vaccination is available by appointment only.
Town Pharmacy
Address: 3403 Watt Ave.
Contact: 916-836-4000
Hours of Operation: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday
For weekly vaccination clinic locations in Sacramento County, visit the Department of Health Service’s official vaccination clinic page.
RETAIL PHARMACIES
Use Vaccine Finder for more locations.
Vaccines by medical providers
Dignity Health/Mercy Medical Group
MOBILE VACCINE CLINICS
Pfizer and John and Jonson vaccines are available and appointments are made on the California Department of Public health’s My Turn page. Walk-ins are accepted.
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "COVID safety and vaccines for your California child: What to know ahead of the holidays."