We chose to vaccinate our daughter Nala, who is 6 years old, to keep her safe but also because we have new babies, elderly and at-risk people in our extended families. While we weren’t too anxious about the risk of Nala herself ending up in the ICU, the bigger issue was reducing transmission to those who might get severely ill. We read the report from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization and we clearly understood that there are very low risks associated with giving the COVID vaccine to kids.
When Nala got her first vaccine dose she was thinking about PJ Masks because it was a prize at the immunization clinic. About the experience with the needle, she said, “It didn’t hurt. I thought the needle would be big and sharp. It wasn’t really sharp, but it had to be a little sharp to get into my skin.” Nala didn’t have side effects and went to her regular gymnastics and swimming classes two days later.
Nala looked forward to showing off that she got the shot because she was the first in her class to get vaccinated. We filmed Nala getting her shot and shared the video with family so the other cousins her age would see that it wasn’t such a bad experience. After all, if little Nala can do it, so can they!
We have four children in school. Our 16-year-old is at-risk of COVID symptoms due to her asthma. She feels safer now that Nala and her 11-year-old brother have had their first vaccine dose. Our kids have been good, ensuring everyone in the family is following the public health rules. This year we’ve gotten fewer letters home from school about COVID exposures, fewer direct contacts with COVID cases, and haven’t had to get tested as often. We believe it makes a difference that teachers are vaccinated and that parents are keeping their kids home if they’re sick.
Abigail works as a midwife in a hospital and has seen nurses from her department being moved to the ICU. We know there is a huge burden on the health system, and there needs to be space left in the hospital for those who are immuno-compromised and experience severe COVID symptoms. Now that kids age 5 to 11 are eligible to be vaccinated we think they should be. We completely understand why people might be anxious or stressed about it, but we would encourage parents to think about the greater good.
