Survey: Vast Majority of Parents Not Eager to Vaccinate Their Youngest Children for the Coronavirus

The vast majority of parents are not eager to vaccinate their youngest children for the Chinese coronavirus, a KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey shows.

According to the survey, just 18 percent of parents of children under the age of five say they will get their child vaccinated “right away.” Another 38 percent said they will “wait and see,” while 27 percent said they will “definitely not” have their child get the shot. Another 11 percent said they would only do so “if required.” 

The survey was fielded just prior to news about Moderna’s request for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize their vaccine’s use in children under 5. The results suggest that there would be an initial vaccination surge once approved, as occurred when other age groups first became eligible. Even so, significant shares of these parents are reluctant, with 27% saying they will “definitely not” get their child vaccinated and 11% saying they would do so “only if required” for school or daycare.

No vaccine has been approved yet for children under the age of five. In January, Pfizer delayed its Food and Drug Administration (FDA) request for the authorization of their vaccine for young children. However, the FDA is expected to meet in June to publicly review vaccines for the youngest population:

The FDA said it plans to convene its outside panel of vaccine experts on June 8, 21 and 22 to review applications from Moderna and Pfizer for child vaccines. The dates are not final and the FDA said it will provide more details as each company completes its application.

While questions have swirled about what’s taking so long, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf emphasized Friday that the agency can’t evaluate the vaccines until all the data is submitted.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 75 percent of children have already contracted the Chinese coronavirus.

Data from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) shows that coronavirus hospitalizations among children remain extremely low — 0.1 percent -1.5 percent in the states reporting. The mortality rate is even lower, as “0.00%-0.02% of all child COVID-19 cases resulted in death” in the states reporting as well.