The following article details the result of a poll on clinicians launched by Medscape last November 3, 2021.

Here are the results of the poll:

• Among physicians who have children aged 5 to 11 years, 30% said that they would not want their children to take the COVID-19 vaccine, while 9% were unsure.
• Meanwhile, nurses, or advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) with children aged 5 to 11 years said they did not want their children to get the COVID vaccine, while 13% were unsure.
• Among pharmacists, 31% said they would not get their children aged 5 to 11 years vaccinated, while 9% were unsure.
• 49% of consumers with kids of the same age did not want them to get the COVID vaccine.

When asked about how confident they were that the vaccines were safe for the 5-11 age group, 66% of physicians, 52% of nurses/APRNs, and 66% of pharmacists said that they were somewhat or very confident. Among consumers, 56% were confident or somewhat confident that the vaccine is safe for that age group.

When asked whether COVID vaccines should be added to the list of childhood immunizations, 37% of physicians said no, while 24 said they were unsure. Meanwhile, 52% of nurses/APRNs said no, while 23% were unsure. Lastly, 42% of pharmacists said no, while 26% were unsure.

Editor’s Note: This survey shows that it is not just “normal people” who are vaccine-hesitant [also see Americans with Ph.D. are most reluctant to take the COVID vaccine]. At least for those medical professionals with children aged 5 to 11 years, many do not want to jump the gun, even if the government has already approved the COVID vaccine for that age group. If medical professionals would not want their very young children to take the vaccine, why would you push your children to take it?

Perhaps one of the most telling statistics gathered from the Medscape poll is the fact that there is no consensus on the inclusion of COVID vaccines to the list of childhood immunizations. This is understandable as there is no long-term safety data to back up this move.

Read Original Online