Teens are getting the COVID vaccine—even when parents say not to
With the U.S. opening approved COVID-19 vaccines to those 12 and older, teenagers are opting in on inoculations.
To do so, however, a number of teenagers must defy parents who don’t believe the vaccine is safe or feel hesitant to let their children get vaccinated. Among this group, many young people are finding ways to get vaccinated of their own volition, Jezebel reported.
Just 3 in 10 parents with kids between 12 and 17 said they would allow their children to get vaccinated immediately, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. That reveals a huge barrier to getting kids vaccinated quickly. And teenagers have been among the groups most affected when it comes to mental health by the pandemic.
Many parents have cited wanting to wait for more data about the vaccines’ use in children and adolescents before injecting their kids. That’s even true for some parents who have been vaccinated themselves.
“[C]ountless teenagers with vaccine-hesitant parents have been left on their own to figure out whether it’s possible to circumvent their parents’ wishes and consent to receive the covid-19 vaccine on their own,” Jezebel reported.
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Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."