CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed 34% of parents would vaccinate their 5-to-11-year-old child "right away" once a COVID-19 vaccine was authorized for children of that age group.
The poll also found 32% of surveyed parents said they would "wait and see" how the vaccine was working -- and 24% said they would definitely not get their 5-to-11-year-olds vaccinated.
Survey parents who expressed concern or hesitation cited possible side effects as the reason.
The question:
In trials, did children aged 5-to-11-years old experience side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine?
Our sources:
The answer:
An FDA review found the vaccine did not have any major safety concerns or side effects for children who were studied as part of the trial.
What we found:
The FDA confirms there were no deaths and no "significant adverse reactions" in kids under 12.
Within three months of receiving their second shot, Pfizer's data shows there were no cases of myocarditis, a condition that causes the enlargement of the heart, in kids under 12.
Data did show some kids had some milder side effects. While the occurrences vary, the side effects themselves are similar to the ones seen in adults:
FEVER:
6.5% Kids 5-11 experienced fever after the second dose
17.2% 16-25-year-olds experienced fever after the second dose
FATIGUE:
39.4% kids 5-11 experienced after the second dose
65.6% 16-25 experienced after the second dose
HEADACHE:
28.0% kids 5-11 experienced after the second dose
60.9% 16-25 experienced after the second dose
CHILLS:
9.8% kids 5-11 experienced after the second dose
40.0% 16-25 experienced after the second dose
VOMITING:
1.9% kids 5-11 experienced after the second dose
2.7% 16-25 experienced after the second dose
DIARRHEA:
5.3% kids 5-11 experienced after the second dose
8.0% 16-25 experienced after the second dose
MUSCLE PAIN:
11.7% kids 5-11 experienced after the second dose
40.8% 16-25 experienced after the second dose
JOINT PAIN:
5.2% kids 5-11 experienced after the second dose
21.9% 16-25 experienced after the second dose
Donner, a pediatrician with Novant Health, said we could be seeing fewer kids getting side effects because the COVID-19 shot designed for this age group is one-third the size of the dose compared to the one administered to adults.
"It could be because of the lower dose," he said. "They are less likely to have those startup side effects -- feeling tired, having fevers, just not feeling well in general -- for that 2-3 day period after the shot."
Ben Thompson: Contact Ben Thompson at bthompson@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.