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Polls conducted across South Africa are revealing how parents feel about their young children being eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine.
Parents responding to a News24 survey expressed conflicting emotions about the vaccine now being available to 12-17 year-olds, including relief (for 50%) and hesitancy (for 21%).
For 29% of respondents, the vaccine has been completely ruled out as an option.
According to another survey by technology company M4Jam, which included comments from 1,886 parents, 80% said they were on board with getting their children vaccinated.
For others, concern that parental consent not being a requirement for vaccination in young children was noted, with 83% of parents saying that children younger than 18 are not old enough to make this kind of decision without parental input.
Also see: Nurses hesitant to vaccinate children without parental consent, saying 'They're way too young'
"The vaccination messaging campaign seems to have made significant headway so that any residual concerns and fears are mostly legitimate by this stage. Parents are more worried about the ability of their children to make important decisions than they are about the vaccine itself," says M4Jam CEO Georgie Midgley.
As far as trusted sources of information parents look to for guidance regarding the vaccine, the vast majority (40%) referenced professional health care workers and the Department of Health (30%) as sources they "trust completely".
In terms of side-effects from the vaccine, 56% expressed concern, whereas 64% said efficacy was their only concern regarding the vaccine's impact on their children.
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