Covid Vaccine: In Australia, the Covid-19 vaccination has been approved for children aged five to 11 years from Sunday. For many parents, getting their child vaccinated is a shared decision with both parents willing to get vaccinated. But this is not the case with all parents.

With the introduction of the Covid vaccination for children this week, there has also been a discussion about what are the options if one of the parents wants to get their child vaccinated but the other does not. However, it is important to know why parents disagree about getting the Covid vaccine?

Before Covid, parents used to decide to get their children vaccinated for various reasons. These include a sense of social responsibility, a belief in the safety and medical benefits of vaccines, and in some cases the possibility of financial incentives. Some policies also include things like "no vaccine, no payment" so people get vaccinated.

However, for some people, barriers to timely vaccination remain a cause. For example, there may be reasons not being vaccinated because of a childhood illness, or because of the inability to reach a vaccine clinic because of work or lack of traffic.

Others believe that vaccination has unacceptable side effects or that vaccination is ineffective in preventing disease. Others believe that vaccines contain harmful substances, prefer natural or homeopathic alternatives, or distrust the medical evidence supporting the safety and effects of vaccination. Some parents also wrongly believe that all these things apply to Covid-19 vaccines as well.

Why are these disputes becoming a problem now?
With the introduction of the Covid-19 vaccine for more children, the controversy over the vaccine has increased in the family. If parents disagree about the vaccine, what happens next will depend in part on the child's age and maturity.

For example, adolescents 16 years of age and older are generally considered to be capable of giving consent for themselves. Therefore, if parents disagree, older teens can consent themselves to getting vaccinated.

Where disputes are likely to arise for young children, for those aged 12-15, vaccinated adolescents may choose to obtain both consents to immunization and consent from a parent or guardian. Whereas, for children below the age of 12, a parent or guardian will need to give consent. Written consent is not required for vaccination in Australia.

What will happen next?
When parents disagree on the vaccination of children, the child's vaccination may be delayed or remain unvaccinated until they can consent themselves. Depending on the relationship between parents and whether it is safe to do so, parents can look to reliable sources of information and answers to frequently asked questions about vaccinations. These can clear up any misunderstandings or disagreements.

In the US, more than 7 million children aged five to 11 years have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and nearly 4 million children have received both. Clinical data for children in this age group shows that antibodies are produced and the vaccine is effective. So far, nothing worrying about security has come to the fore. So, if you haven't started talking about child immunizations yet, it's time to start.