CAPITOL HEIGHTS, Md. — In late October, the FDA authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. Since then, there have been a number of mishaps across the metro region.
In Fairfax county, 25 kids were given the wrong dose and 98 children in Montgomery County were given an over-diluted amount of the vaccine. Some parents in our region are now on the fence about giving their kids the jab.
Erica Smith said it's added to the many reasons why she’s choosing not to vaccinate her children.
"The vaccine itself is still fairly new, there are no long-term studies, it’s too new for long-term studies and I feel like a child, they’re still developing," Erica Smith said.
The CDC states that long-term side effects are rare.
"Serious side effects that could cause a long-term health problem are extremely unlikely following any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccine monitoring has historically shown that side effects generally happen within six weeks of receiving a vaccine dose," the website states.
"For this reason, the FDA required each of the authorized COVID-19 vaccines to be studied for at least two months (eight weeks) after the final dose. Millions of people have received COVID-19 vaccines, and no long-term side effects have been detected."
Erica’s son is nine and her daughter is three. She said her son has had adverse reactions to vaccines in the past.
"My son is completely vaccinated, my daughter has never had one vaccine. My daughter was two months premature, had a NICU stay, never been vaccinated and she is by far healthier than he is," she said.
Jason German and his wife have two children. Their youngest, just four months old. He and both kids tested positive earlier this year for the virus. It’s why he said they’ve decided to vaccinate their son when he turns five next spring.
"We are both more concerned with residual or long-term symptoms of Covid versus long term symptoms of a vaccine," Jason German said.
A decision he said they made to not only keep their son safe but other children as well.
"He is a germ magnet. We’ve already had two bouts of hand foot and mouth with him being in school," he added.
The vaccine dosage for children is a third of the adult dose. The FDA said it’s important kids get the dosage appropriate for their age and not their weight.