MYTH: Children do not need to be vaccinated because they do not become seriously ill from COVID-19.

FACTS:
Children may have milder symptoms and are less likely to be hospitalized than adults. But since children can become infected and transmit the virus, they can serve as an ongoing source of transmission.

It should be noted that incidences of keiki hospitalizations has risen with the Omicron variant. It is true that children are not dying at the same rate as adults. But, they are experiencing more serious health issues than first reported at the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, we are now seeing some of the ongoing consequences of COVID (sometimes referred to as “long COVID).

Therefore, we want to protect them as much as possible. Additionally, children are part of the community, or the “herd.” And, it becomes harder to get back to some normalcy if a large proportion of the population remains unvaccinated.

SOURCE: https://www.bu.edu/articles/2021/myths-vs-facts-covid-19-vaccine/ (Boston University)

Updated 12/16/2021