Wayne State doctor discusses impact of vaccine confusion on schools, parents
Dr. Teena Chopra, a professor of internal medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Wayne State University, says there's confusion around the new COVID-19 vaccine guidelines after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced new limits on who is eligible to receive the vaccine.
"The schools are already open. The transmission is going to happen. People are not going to have access to vaccines," said Chopra.
Earlier this year, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services took a survey of close to 1,000 Michigan parents to learn about their attitudes toward vaccines and found that 81% of parents said their child was up to date on vaccines and boosters.
For the nearly 20% that were off track, about half of them said the choice came down to their concerns over "the potential side effects and long-term impacts" of vaccines.
"It was such a short time for COVID, the testing for the vaccine, that it's just not long enough for me to choose to vaccinate my kids," said Sarah Ward, a mother of three in Novi.
Ward says her children are fully immunized for all of the necessary shots required by the school district but have chosen against getting the COVID-19 vaccine as a family.
"My gut says absolutely no COVID vaccines. It's not been around long enough; it has not been studied enough. My babies are my life, and I would vaccinate my children for vaccines that have been around at least 15 to 20 years," said Ward.
Chopra spoke about how the changes at the national level could impact those in Metro Detroit.
"There is a lot of misinformation, lack of trust and access is going to become an issue, which is, as you know, it can have a huge impact on severe disease, on hospitalizations," said Chopra.
Ward says she hasn't closed the door to giving her children the COVID-19 vaccine but plans to wait before making any big decisions.
"Parents should really just do their research and do what they feel is best for their families," said Ward.
Chopra encourages parents to speak with their child's pediatrician to determine a vaccine plan that works for them.