CALIFORNIA, USA — Vaccine clinics for children between the ages of 12 and 15 began Thursday in Northern California.
“I had a history of asthma so I just want to make it safe and get the vaccine,” 13-year-old Gabriel Tanebianchi said.
Tanebianchi was able to get a vaccine Friday at the Foothill Highschool pop-up clinic but before he got to this moment he said he discussed it with his mother.
“My mom talked to me about it. I was nervous," said Tanebianchi. "Then I agreed to it, I said okay."
ABC10 asked Natalia Moreira how she and her husband had that conversation with Gabriel and his siblings
“A lot of research, do the pros and the cons, make them feel comfortable and do what’s best for your family,” Moreira explained.
Moreira said for her family the answer to whether to get the vaccine or not was unanimous. They are getting the shot for those who can't.
“I lost three uncles to COVID and they were not that old, so for me, it was scary. So, I think it’s better to be safe,” Moreira said.
Folsom Doctor Kawanaa Carter said most kids are asymptomatic when they get COVID-19 and child cases also harder to treat.
“[Children] also can get something like multi-system syndrome inflammatory, therefore, they are hard to treat when they get into that condition and that increases the rate of death among children,” Carter said.
But what about kids who want to get vaccinated but their parents are not on board? Sacramento Public Health Officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye says children must have a written consent form with a parent’s signature but that parent does not have to be present when they get the shot.
“For the younger students, of course, their expectation is that there will be an adult in their relative, or the parent if possible, but otherwise we will be more will have to take the written consent form with the signature that we have,” Kasirye said.
