Researchers ask for feedback on COVID-19 vaccine information sheet for kids

Researchers with the University of Waterloo's School of Pharmacy are asking for feedback from parents and the community as they prepare to release an information sheet on the COVID-19 vaccine and children.

People can fill out an online survey which will help researchers better answer questions parents or guardians may have about the vaccine, according to Dr. Kelly Grindrod, an associate professor at the School of Pharmacy.

"We've been trying to anticipate the kinds of questions parents need to have answered to feel comfortable making a decision about the vaccination," Grindrod told CBC News.

"A big part of it was trying to provide some information on what we know about the virus in kids ... Separately, when you talk with parents about the vaccine, especially with the COVID vaccine, safety is the number one concern."

The information sheet covers questions around what vaccine children ages five to 11 will be eligible for and how many doses they can receive. The sheet also addresses questions around how the vaccine will work and what side effects parents can expect.

The information sheet is intended for parents and guardians of children ages five to 11. Grindrod said they are also keeping educators, family doctors, pharmacists and other health-care workers in mind.

"We write it in a way that frontline health-care providers can also use it in their conversations with people," she said.

Giving parents info well in advance

Grindrod adds they hope to have the information sheet available at the end of the week to give parents time to read it well in advance of when the vaccine gets the green light, which could be later this month. 

She said many parents with children 12 and up shared frustration over receiving information after the vaccine was approved for that age group.

"For a lot of parents, there is a waiting period. They want to learn about it and they want to sit on the decision a little bit before they actually make the choice," she said.

The survey is being funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada.