Soon, parents across the country may finally have the option to vaccinate their young kids against Covid-19. Pfizer and BioNTech announced Tuesday they are requesting emergency use authorization for their Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months to 5 years, signaling the potential arrival of a vaccine for this age group in the weeks to come, pending review of the safety and efficacy data.
What feels to many parents like long-awaited news has others thinking long and hard about the choice ahead of them. Currently, only three in 10 parents say they’ll get their child under the age of 5 vaccinated as soon as possible when a Covid-19 vaccine is authorized, according to the most recent data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
As a pediatrician, I find this response disheartening. As a new mom to a beautiful boy who will be 6 months this March, I understand this parental concern. I have come to accept that worrying is part of being a parent, and despite being well versed in the science, I too have paused to ask myself whether I’m ready to give my baby the Covid-19 vaccine. My most important job as a mama is, after all, keeping him safe.
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