TAMPA, Fla. — Experts say right now many parents are feeling differently about getting their child vaccinated for COVID-19.
“There are probably three camps here. There are the people who probably signed up to do it already. Those are probably the ones who also probably signed up for themselves as soon as they could and their grandparents probably did the same," said Dr. David Berger, Board Certified Pedestrian, Owner, and Medical Director at Wholistic Pediatrics and Family Care.
"There is a group of people who are going to be in the 'no, never, no way' category. We know that that they exist, you know, is that 15% of the population, 20%. You know, the numbers are somewhere around there. Then there's the third part of the population who says I want to wait and see,” said Dr. Berger.
Berger says it’s likely some parents will wait until it’s closer to school starting before getting their kids vaccinated to see how other children respond to the vaccine first.
Berger has requested to see the raw data from Pfizer to see more details about what the company tested and the results.
Many health experts tell us the clinical trials show that the vaccine is safe and effective in kids 12 to 15 with mostly mild side effects like soreness at the injection site, fever, chills, headache and fatigue.
“I don't really see much of a difference biologically, between somebody in the 12 to 15 age group relative to say, the 16 to 25 age group. Yes, some of the younger ones are obviously still doing going through physical development, obviously, once they're closer to 15, less so,” said Berger.
If you’re unsure about getting your child vaccinated, experts recommend you make an appointment with your pediatrician to talk about your specific concerns and questions.