By Chris Brown

National Kids & Vaccines Day aims to give parents and children peace of mind

Jan 21, 2022 | 3:27 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A collection of Canadian scientists, researchers and health care experts are hoping National Kids & Vaccines Day will give a boost to lagging COVID vaccination rates for children aged 5 to 11.

Dr. Krishana Sankar of Science Up First says there’s a lot of misinformation that’s circulating around the vaccine and kids, around its safety and efficacy. They want to get the best available scientific information in the hands of those who will need it to make decisions for their kids.

“Also what we’ve noticed is the uptake of the COVID vaccine for kids aged five to 11 has been really slow,” says the scientist and science communicator. “As of the beginning of January, it’s less than half of Canadian kids under the age of 12 have gotten their first dose. Which of course in comparison, it only took one week for the same proportion of kids or youth aged 12 to 17-year-olds to get their first dose.

In Medicine Hat, 35.3 per cent of kids 5 to 11 have had their first dose. Rates in Lethbridge three zones range from 39 to 56 per cent.

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Common questions and concerns she and others hear are about the vaccines’ safety and efficacy and anxiety or needlephobia that parents and kids have.

A free town hall will take place on Zoom at 6 p.m. our time on Jan. 27 where parents can ask experts questions about the vaccine so they can make an informed decision.

“So the hope is that we’re able to reach as many people as possible who are still uncertain or still have questions and we’re able to answer their questions and give them some peace of mind to help make the best decision that they need make for themselves,” says Sankar.

National Kids and Vaccines Day is a collaboration of ScienceUpFirst, Children’s Healthcare Canada and The Sandbox Project.

For more information visit scienceupfirst.com.