Survey reveals most parents won’t vax kids right away

(KYMA, KECY/ CNN) - Health officials are closing in on a decision about a vaccine for kids 5 to 11 as Pfizer's vaccine just got the thumbs up on emergency use authorization from the FDA's vaccine advisers.

As advisers at the Centers for Disease Control are expected to mirror that decision as early as next week, a new survey shows significant hesitancy among parents to get young children vaccinated against Covid-19.

Just 27% of parents surveyed by the Kaiser Family Foundation said they plan to vaccinate their young children as soon as possible, while 66% of the respondents cited concerns over the vaccine impacting their child's future fertility.

That worry is relatively new. In January, only 3% of surveyed adults were worried about perceived fertility issues associated with the vaccine.

Most health care experts agree with the FDA that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks in children as there is no evidence fertility problems are among those risks.

If the FDA agrees on emergency use authorization for children vaccinations, the CDC's advisers will then meet to make their recommendation which is on the books for November 2nd.

If they give it the go-ahead, the CDC is expected to make its official recommendation, possibly with modifications.

That means the nation's 28 million kids ages 5 to 11 could be eligible for their first shot by as early as next week.

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As some parents are still hesitant, the FDA's vaccine advisers say safety monitoring will continue moving forward.