CA Parents: Do You Want Your Children Vaccinated Against COVID?

CALIFORNIA — Now that the federal panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted to recommend the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine be used in children 12 to 15, parents in California have a choice to make: to vaccinate or not to vaccinate their kids?

The Food and Drug Administration announced earlier this week that it was expanding its national emergency use authorization for the vaccine, and California's top health official, Dr. Mark Ghaly, later announced vaccine approval for youth was imminent in the Golden State.

As of Thursday, the state's main coronavirus resource — covid19.ca.gov — featured prominent messaging that vaccinations are now available for children 12 and up.

Appointments for anyone under 18 need to be made by a parent or legal guardian who must give consent to a provider administering the vaccine. Emancipated minors do not need the consent, and providers will accept written consent from a parent or guardian in many cases.

"If a provider has a written authorization for general medical care of a minor on file, a separate consent from a parent or guardian is not required. However, the provider may still request it," according to California officials.

Vaccinations are not yet required for schoolchildren in California, as approval still falls under an emergency use authorization, according to Ghaly.

"While vaccination isn’t currently required to return to in-person learning, the state’s objective is to get as many of our 2.1 million 12 to 15-year-olds vaccinated prior to the new fall term," the state Q&A website said. "By getting our young people vaccinated soon, we can take comfort in knowing those over age 12 are protected."

The FDA also urged parents to say "yes" to the vaccine.

"Parents and guardians can rest assured that the agency undertook a rigorous and thorough review of all available data, as we have with all of our COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorizations," acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement Monday.

As part of the recommended expanded use of the Pfizer vaccine, the FDA issued a fact sheet about vaccination in kids 12 and older. Read it here.

From March 1, 2020, through April 30, 2021, approximately 1.5 million COVID-19 cases in individuals 11 to 17 were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the FDA.

Children and adolescents generally have a milder COVID-19 disease course compared to adults, the FDA reported.

If you are indeed interested in getting your child vaccinated, you can book an appointment for your child 12 and up through the state's website, called My Turn. You can also call California’s COVID-19 hotline at 833-422-4255 or check with your family doctor.

As of Thursday, more than 33 million vaccines have been administered to those 16 and older across California, according to the California Department of Public Health.

If you're a parent, Patch wants to know whether you plan on having your child vaccinated. Take our survey below and let us know. The survey will remain open until Saturday morning and we will post the results after it's closed.