New Campaign from THE CONVERSATION / LA CONVERSACIÓN about Kids and the COVID Vaccines

August 25, 2021 – THE CONVERSATION / LA CONVERSACIÓN expands to address questions about the COVID-19 vaccines and children with new FAQ videos featuring pediatricians. This installment of the campaign is produced by KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) under its Greater Than COVID public information response and is presented with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Vaccine safety, efficacy and potential side effects, as well as the need for vaccinations among children, are among issues highlighted in the new FAQ video series, which addresses both the currently available COVID vaccine for 12 and older as well as status of vaccines for younger children. Comedian and parent, W. Kamau Bell appears in an anchor video in conversation with pediatricians about some of the most common questions asked by parents and caregivers in KFF research.
Children 12 and older are currently eligible to get the COVID vaccine. Clinical trials with children under 12 are underway with authorization expected to come later this fall. With the Delta variant resulting in increasing COVID cases among children, along with adults, and rising hospitalizations among those unvaccinated, there is growing urgency to get children vaccinated when eligible.

“As a pediatrician, I am very concerned about the rapid increase in children who are being infected and hospitalized with COVID due to the Delta variant,” said AAP President, Lee Savio Beers, MD, FAAP. “Vaccination is the best way to protect children 12 and older. And for those children who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated, families can protect them by getting vaccinated themselves. This is part of a layered approach that includes hand washing, physical distancing and wearing masks as kids return to school.”

According to a data analysis by the AAP, as of August 19, nearly 4.6 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. Over 180,000 cases were added from the week prior, a continuing substantial increase. After declining in early summer, child cases have steadily increased since the beginning of July.

“The surge in COVID cases as children return to school has many parents anxious about how best to protect their families. Parents trust pediatricians more than everyone else when it comes to information on vaccinating their kids. This campaign provides resources that build on that trust,” said KFF President and CEO Drew Altman.

According to recent findings from the KFF COVID Vaccine Monitor, pediatricians are the top trusted source of information on COVID-19 for parents. Among parents of teens who discussed the vaccine with their pediatrician, most say the doctor recommended their child get vaccinated, and three-quarters of those whose pediatrician recommended vaccination say their child has received at least one shot.

“Children across the country are returning to in-person learning at a time when the dominant strain of COVID is more contagious than ever. So many parents and caregivers are rightfully concerned about how to protect their kids,” said Rhea Boyd, MD, MPH, pediatrician and public health advocate, who co-developed THE CONVERSATION / LA CONVERSACIÓN with KFF and appears in the current messaging about kids and the COVID vaccines. “In this video series, parents and caregivers can hear directly from us, pediatricians who know the science and can share the information they need to feel comfortable getting their kids vaccinated when eligible.”

“I’ve been working with pediatric vaccines my whole career, including in pediatric COVID-19 vaccine trials here at Stanford Medicine. There is no doubt in my mind that we absolutely need vaccines for children. We know that vaccines are the most effective public health intervention to keep all populations safe and healthy,” says Yvonne “Bonnie” Maldonado, MD, Stanford Medicine Epidemiologist and Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, who appears in the campaign.

THE CONVERSATION / LA CONVERSACIÓN offers an expansive, living video library featuring doctors, nurses, researchers and community health workers dispelling myths and providing credible facts about the COVID-19 vaccines. The campaign debuted in March with an initial series focused on Black communities presented with the Black Coalition Against COVID. Additional content was added in May for Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities with UnidosUS. To date, the videos have been viewed more than 82.7 million times on digital and social media.

All content is available rights-free and designed to be shared on social media and can be easily embedded on websites. A community toolkit provides additional graphics and promotions to extend reach of the messaging.

The California Health Care Foundation, California Community Foundation, California Endowment, Commonwealth Fund, Sierra Health Foundation and Walgreens have provided funding in support of THE CONVERSATION / LA CONVERSACIÓN campaign. YouTube, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are promoting the messaging on their platforms as part of efforts to amplify trusted voices on COVID-19.

For more information about THE CONVERSATION / LA CONVERSACIÓN go to:

www.BetweenUsAboutUs.org l www.EntreNosotrosSobreNosotros.org

www.youtube.com/GreaterThanCOVID

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the optimal health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.

KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) is a national nonprofit leader in health policy analysis and polling, journalism and social impact media. No affiliation with Kaiser Permanente. Visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor Dashboard, Racial Equity and Health topic page and KHN.

Greater Than COVID is a public information initiative from KFF to help individuals take charge of their health during the evolving COVID-19 public health crisis. Tailored media messages and community tools address information needs about the vaccines.