Parents weigh pros and cons of vaccinating their children against COVID-19

The School District of Lee County and Golisano’s Children Hospital have partnered to offer seven clinics in the next week where children ages 5 to 17 can get a vaccine to protect against COVID-19.

Mike Evans who has a 10-year-old son has questions that many parents have when it comes to vaccinating their children.

“Is it more risky to wait and see if it gets the virus? Or is it more risky to actually give him the vaccine?” Evans said. “I think in some cases, it probably is quite a relief for some parents to be able to send their kids to school having that protection.”

Some parents, meanwhile, got the shots themselves but won’t let their kids get it. Others are against the vaccine altogether.

“North Fort Myers is now being able to have a winter formal dance, because the restrictions are loosening up. And my daughter’s really excited about that,” Evans said. “I know kids everywhere, real excited about being able to get back to doing normal things again, and parents are probably pretty excited about it too.”

Dr. Stephanie Stovall, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Lee Health, said she and her colleagues were some of the first to give their kids the vaccine.

“There is nothing in our lives that is without risk, whether that’s deciding to have a child, deciding to parent a child, or deciding to vaccinate a child, whether it’s deciding whether or not to take the child to a pediatrician for an evaluation, or to stay at home and give Tylenol and ibuprofen every decision that we make has a risk associated with it,” Stovall said.

Booker Ferrell, of Cape Coral, said his two older kids have been vaccinated because the family travels a lot.

“I encouraged him that, OK, we have to get this because to keep you healthy, and prevent you from getting sick,” Ferrell said. “And then afterward, you know, you take them somewhere, as far as ice cream and stuff like that, just to really ensure that everything’s gonna be okay. Give them a good incentive.”

But ultimately, Booker said, it’s up to each individual family.

“Like anything within this country, you have the right to do what you feel that’s best for your family at the time,” Ferrel said.

Stovall said the long-term side effects associated with the vaccine are “virtually nil.”