Parents in quandary over vaccinating children

A student receives a COVID-19 vaccine shot at a clinic in Seoul, Oct. 18, when health authorities started inoculations of children aged between 16 and 17 and reservations for those between 12 and 15. Korea Times file

By Bahk Eun-ji

Parents are at a loss over whether to have their children get COVID-19 vaccines ahead of the resumption of full-scale in-person classes later this month.

While the health authorities are encouraging them to do so, citing an increasing number of infections among children recently, many parents are still hesitant due to concerns of possible side effects. The stance taken by education authorities to leave inoculation up to individuals is also making it challenging for parents to make a decision.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 22.9 percent of confirmed patients from Nov. 1 to 7 were under the age of 20, up from 17.6 percent a month ago, from Oct. 1 to 7. Not only the proportion, but also the number of infections under the age of 20, increased during the period, from 2,566 to 3,504.

Infection clusters among students are also taking place at schools or private academies, and considering the fact that it has been only about a week since the government's “Living with COVID-19” plan was implemented, new infections among children are highly likely to rise further under the eased social distancing rules.

In addition, starting from Nov. 22, after the state-run university entrance exam slated for Nov. 18, elementary and middle schools in the Seoul metropolitan area will fully resume in-person classes for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak here in January last year. Small-scale group activities such as group discussions, club activities and school trips will be also allowed.

In response, the public health authorities are actively recommending students get vaccinated.

“Infections among teenagers are growing, so we strongly recommend them to get vaccinated for a safe return to pre-pandemic normalcy,” Interior and Safety Ministry Jeon Hae-cheol said in a press briefing last week.

But the inoculation and vaccination reservation rates among children are low. According to the KDCA, 65.4 percent of children aged 16 to 17, and 29.8 percent of those between 12 and 15, made reservations for vaccinations. COVID-19 vaccine shots for children aged five to 11 have not been approved here yet.

The education ministry is leaving it up to individual parents and children to decide whether or not to get vaccinated. But the effectiveness of that policy is being questioned as infections among children increase ahead of the full resumption of in-person classes.

Parents say they are confused about what to do in the absence of clear guidelines from the education ministry.

“There is no pressure yet for vaccination in schools, and my husband and I plan to watch the situation more for now,” said Lee Yoon-joo, a mother of two sons in the second and fifth grades of an elementary school in Dongdaemun District.

“I think my children will eventually get the shots if many of their friends are vaccinated,” Lee said.

Park Hye-ran, a mother of a second grader in Jungnang-gu, also said, “There are no clear guidelines for children's vaccination ahead of the full resumption of in-person classes, so I can't make a decision.

“I am still worried about getting my son vaccinated because both my husband and I suffered from high fevers and muscle pain for a few days after being vaccinated,” Park added.