Data from the Australian National University shows a high number of parents would vaccinate their children if they were given a safe and effective vaccine choice. Even 71 per cent of parents with kids under four said they’d probably or definitely give their kids a vaccine if one was available, according to the findings published in The Lancet journal on Wednesday. Overall, 42 per cent said they would definitely vaccinate their children, 36 per cent said probably, 11 per cent said probably not and 9 per cent said definitely not.Those from non-English backgrounds, blue-collar workers and parents who are not vaccinated are most hesitant, the nationally representative sample of more than 3000 adults found.The findings come as the United States has become the first health regulator to recommend the Pfizer vaccine to protect children aged five to 11.Australian regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, is currently assessing the vaccine for use on Australian children under 12.A decision is not expected until at least 2022.The survey, conducted in August a month before children aged 15 to 17 were allowed to be vaccinated, found parents with older children were the most receptive to the idea of vaccination.Nearly 90 per cent of those with children aged 15 to 18 said they were open to vaccination, reflecting the current vaccination rate in this age group of nearly 91 per cent.Nearly 80 per cent of those with children aged five to nine said they would vaccinate their child, followed by 76 per cent of 10 to 14-year-olds and 71 per cent of those up to four years old.“Parents were less likely to want their child vaccinated if they were Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, spoke a language other than English at home, had a vocational qualification, or lived outside of Sydney,” lead author, ANU Associate Professor Ben Edwards, said.But the strongest reflection of vaccine intention for children is the parents’ own vaccination status or intention.“Importantly, parents who indicated that they probably will get vaccinated but have not got vaccinated yet had significantly lower vaccine intentions for their children than parents who were vaccinated,” he said.Victorian coronavirus data shows there are 2337 children aged nine and under with the virus and 1875 under 19.
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