The COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 could be approved within days. One family is confident in the vaccine because they already volunteered to get it.
DENVER — Very soon, a new group of Colorado kids will likely become eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination.
State health leaders expect the vaccine for children ages 5-11 to be approved in the coming days and explained a rollout plan for vaccine distribution on Thursday.
Families are starting to make plans for vaccinating their younger children. For one Colorado family, the decision was already made months ago.
“Over the summer we were invited to participate in a COVID-19 vaccine trial for kids,” said Dr. Rachel Brewer, mom to three girls: Charley (7), Ellie (8) and Sydney (10).
“They all started it mid-summer, [each got] two doses of the vaccine or placebo.”
Brewer and her husband are both doctors. She is a pediatric sports medicine physician with Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children. Her husband, Dr. JP Brewer, is an ER physician at Rose Medical Center. The Brewers said their children were enrolled in a local Pfizer trial for kids.
Both parents are fully vaccinated and “boosted,” themselves – and were eager to give their girls the opportunity.
“We have to make smart decisions,” JP said. “And there’s some sort of increased risk because of who Rachel and I are, and where we work.”
“These studies are done by our colleagues who went through similar training and similar background and we obviously have that background to understand the process,” Rachel added. “So having that made it easy for us to make that decision early and feel safe in making this decision for our kids moving forward.”
Ellie, a third grader, said the shots were “sort of scary” and the needles hurt. But the girls put on a brave face.
”The best part of getting shot is its going keep me safe,” added second-grader, Charley. “And the worst part about shot is, it’s a needle and I don’t like needles!”
The oldest, 10-year old Sydney, said her friends were curious about the shot after she got hers. If she did in fact get the real vaccine (and not a placebo) she feels good about that decision.
“I would feel safer around my classmates and my teachers because I know that I got vaccinated,” the fifth grader said.
For Mom and Dad, a fully vaccinated household means more peace of mind and new freedoms at this phase of the pandemic.
“That’s our biggest worry — is asymptomatic transmission,” JP said. “Who am I potentially causing harm to without even realizing it. [Vaccination] brings all that [worry] down.”
The Brewers know other parents will soon be making decisions about their own kids. Their message is one of confidence.
“We did this [trial] for a reason,” Dr. Rachel Brewer said. “Not only to get through the pandemic but also because we trust the leaders of this process. And to have faith in that. And that I think we can get through this safely if our kids get vaccinated.”
“We have got to take care of our kids, and take care of ourselves,” Dr. JP Brewer added. “But we’ve got to take care of each other. And this is a big part of taking care of each other – being humans and humanity.”
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