BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Raising children in a pandemic brings new difficulties every day, especially when it comes to talking about the vaccine. If you have questions, there's an opportunity to ask a doctor coming up.
"Those can be difficult conversations, we really want families to learn about all the options. We can’t tell families they must get vaccinated, but we do want them to make informed decisions," said Susan Barlow, Executive Director at Parent Network of WNY.
Her organization offers help to parents of children living with disabilities, often hosting opportunities to have their questions answered through virtual workshops.
On December 20 from 6-7:30pm they’ll have a workshop with Dr. Stephen Turkovich from Oishei Children’s Hospital called "Give it a Shot".
"He’ll explain, what is the vaccine, what do we know right now, why is it important to get the vaccine?” said Barlow.
You’ll be able to ask him specific questions about your child.
Ahead of time--we sat down with Dr. Thomas Russo from the UB Jacobs School of Medicine to run through some of the big ones.
Is the vaccine safe for my child?
Dr. Russo: Safety looks great, no new safety signals likewise efficacy is strong so obviously the benefits outweigh the risks.
What if I have a child under five—when will they be eligible?
Dr. Russo: Hopefully some data will be available toward the end of the year, but I don’t expect approval for these younger children until sometime in 2022.
While Parent Network of WNY caters to parents of children living with disabilities—this Q&A session is for any parent with questions.
"All we ask is that people make informed choices. Get the facts, find out what the science says," said Barlow.
You do have to sign up for the zoom online— that’s where you send those questions. Click here for the registration link.
