“We trust the COVID vaccine,” heads of top medical groups say in ads targeting parents

Leaders of some of the largest health care professional associations in the United States are calling on parents to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, as part of a new push by the Biden administration to persuade millions of families to they haven’t done it yet.

The ads, a couple of 60-second spots titled “Oath” and “Trust” – feature Dr. Pet. Gerald Harmon, president of the American Medical Association; Dr. Moira Szilagyi, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Ernest Grant, president of the American Nurses Association; and Dr. Ada Stewart, chair of the board of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Both spots are scheduled on social media starting Thursday, as well as on TV screens starting next week.

“We swore to do the best for our patients. So we want you to know that we trust the VOCID vaccine. For ourselves, for our patients, for our children. You should do the same,” he said. group in ad.

The new announcements come as the pace of new vaccines has slowed nationwide for two consecutive months to record lows, even though more than 57 million eligible Americans are not yet vaccinated. Only about three out of 10 of the first doses given in the last two weeks were given to children.

Compared to their vaccinated peers, CDC data up to January suggest that hospitalization rates for COVID-19 were three times higher in unvaccinated children ages 5 to 11 and twice as high in children aged 12 to 11 years. 15 years unvaccinated.

Recent studies published by the agency have found an average effectiveness of two shots against braking urgent care visits o infections during the Omicron wave, although teens with a booster injection came out much better.

Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to have test results in April that could allow younger age groups to get a third dose.

The CDC also updated its guideline last month to allow teens to extend the interval to 8 weeks between the first and second dose, which some studies suggest may reduce the risk of side effects from rare heart inflammation. and improve vaccine protection.

“Like you, there is nothing more important to me than keeping our children safe. What is not safe is having COVID,” the group says in the ad.

For months, federal health officials have been promoting their efforts to persuade hesitant families as the group of children eligible for COVID-19 vaccines expands.

The administration says a number of previous ads have reached 9 out of 10 adults across the country more than 20 times on average, citing Nielsen data. Through programs such as the “COVID-19 Community Corps” or millions of dollars awarded to organizations, the campaign has also taken advantage of thousands of Americans to carry out dissemination to promote the vaccine.

But it’s been more than four months since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first recommended the vaccine. for children up to five years, just over a quarter of children ages 5 to 11 have received both injections. About two-thirds of children ages 12 to 17 are fully vaccinated. The youngest members of this group have been able to get the shots since last May.

“At first we thought that the children were affected quite slightly by COVID-19. And then, as these new variants continued to emerge, we saw children who were dying. I saw that there were hospitalized families in my office who they were devastated, “Stewart said. .

Stewart, who works for a community health center in Southern California, said he took the opportunity a month ago to sit in front of the cameras in downtown Columbia for the advertising boost in hopes that it could persuade “families who are on the fence”. . ”

“We continue to struggle with the fact that we still have a number of unvaccinated individuals. So we hope this will encourage more people to get vaccinated, whole families, children and adults,” Stewart said.

The latest data from CDC polls suggest that about 20% of parents are likely to vaccinate their children or are unsafe. The proportion of parents who “probably or definitely won’t” get the shots has risen from 21% in October to 24%.

“Accessing the vaccine is not a problem here in the state. You don’t have to wait for your doctor to call you,” said Dr. Jose Romero, head of the Arkansas Department of Health. immunization rates. Children’s rates are, I would say, bleak. “

Recent reports from the CDC and the Kaiser Family Foundation ranked many southern states, including Arkansas, among the bottom half of jurisdictions for vaccinating children ages 5 to 11.

Despite the slowdown in infections and hospitalizations in recent weeks, Romero said the state and its partners “have not slowed down at all” in their own vaccination initiatives against childhood COVID-19, which they also include paid advertising and Arkansas-funded outreach.

But efforts to persuade parents have proven to be a challenge, given the initial reluctance of many parents, he said, or unfounded reservations about their safety.

A June 2021 survey found that 12.1% of parents who were hesitant to get vaccinated planned to vaccinate their children after the vaccines became available. Since then, nearly nine out of 10 adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Romero also blamed misinformation as one of the main factors fueling the fear of long-term side effects of the shots, as well as the perception that children were immune to the serious results of an infection.

“Our parents and their reservations about getting vaccinated will be passed on to their children. And until parents see the need for this, which is a serious illness, there is less desire to get this vaccine for kids, “Romero said.

Data released by the CDC estimates that just over half of children have antibodies from a previous COVID-19 infection. 1,339 children have died.

A recent UK study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, suggests that many adolescents who survive COVID-19 may end up with long-term symptoms. Romero cited other research that has linked COVID-19 to an increased risk of various health problems in children, such as newly diagnosed diabetes.

“This is a perfect opportunity to get there, while things are a little quiet, to get vaccinated. To get ahead and protect ourselves in case we have another variant trying to lift its ugly head,” he said. dir Stewart.

“This is the time,” Stewart added.