NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. — Theresa Buechl was enjoying a day at the beach Wednesday with her three children and husband. But larger decisions loom on the horizon.
She had heard the news about Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine and the 100% reported efficacy rate on children 12 and older.
"We don't know the repercussions, like, later on, the long-term effects of the vaccination and how it's going to affect children," she said.
Buechl herself is vaccinated.
"I took it because I am in the medical field and I felt like I had to, you know, working with people all the time," she said.
But as is the case for many parents, she has a laundry list of questions and concerns when it comes to vaccinating her children for COVID-19.
"I feel like it was a lot for me to consider, let alone my children," she said. "I worked at a children's hospital for 10 years. That's just how I feel about it."
Some parents think, just like everything else during this pandemic, there won't be agreement and the "mom-shaming" will continue.
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"It's just like everything else," mother Melody Rodriguez said. "You get judged if you breast feed. You get judged if you didn't breast feed. You get judged if your kids slept in your bed. You get judged if they slept in their crib. You get judged on everything. So, for me, I just feel like, No. 1, I'm going to do what's right for my family based on the research I do, and the people doing the research know more than me."
Rodriguez has three kids and wants to know how effective the shot is on children and what effects they may experience.
"I'm just cautiously optimistic," she said. "I am registered to get my vaccine, but I don't feel like they have done enough studies on kids yet. I just would like to see more research before I sign my kids up."
Sarah Weinstein, a mother, is vaccinated herself and follows vaccine information closely.
"If these trials come out where, you know, all the scientific research and data says that, 'Hey, you know, kids are doing well with this and it's very effective' and the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) says, 'We recommend it,' then we will definitely want our girls to get it," she said.
Weinstein elaborated and went on to say she does have come concerns about side effects.
"I had a little bit of side effects after my first shot," Weinstein said. "Nothing too bad. Just really tired. Do children get the same side effects or do they feel nothing? That's definitely a big question for me, because I wouldn't want to put my kids through anything terrible."
