Vaccinating children against COVID-19 can prevent tragedy

Three in 10 parents say they will “definitely not” get their 5- to 11-year-old vaccinated against COVID-19, according to new data from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Neil Lewis, Jr., a behavioral scientist at Cornell University who was not involved with the study, has been part of several efforts to increase access and increase vaccine confidence. He says vaccinating children against coronavirus will prevent more tragedies.

Lewis says:

“I can understand why parents might be a little nervous – they just want to protect their children. But protection is exactly what the vaccines provide – they protect the children, their families, and everyone they interact with. The data shows that the vaccine provides high levels of protection from COVID-19 and does so with minimal side effects.

“We are extremely fortunate in this country to be at a point where we can offer this level of protection to children and their families. More than six million children in the U.S. have been infected so far, and more than 600 have died. It’s tragic that so many families have had to bury their little ones so soon. But we can prevent more of those tragedies from happening. We now have the tools at our disposal to protect our children and other loved ones. I hope we’ll use them.”

For interviews contact:
Becka Bowyer
cell: (607) 220-4185
[email protected]

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