{"id":50294,"date":"2022-07-12T13:01:46","date_gmt":"2022-07-12T20:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=50294"},"modified":"2022-07-12T13:01:46","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T20:01:46","slug":"new-surge-same-misinformation-latino-parents-weigh-covid-vaccines-for-their-youngest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=50294","title":{"rendered":"New Surge, Same Misinformation: Latino Parents Weigh Covid Vaccines for Their Youngest"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By<\/span>Pilar Marrero <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Vaccinating<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Leer este articulo en\u00a0espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

LOS ANGELES \u2013 At the Oscar Romero Clinic in Boyle Heights, a primarily Latino neighborhood in East Los Angeles, children arrive with a variety of symptoms.<\/p>\n

With Covid infections\u00a0again ticking upward<\/a>\u00a0here, doctors say many parents remain incredulous, influenced by rampant misinformation that continues to downplay the risks to children and families.<\/p>\n

Parents are in \u201ctremendous denial,\u201d according to Ruth Carleton Lindo, a pediatrician at the clinic. Many believe their little ones can\u2019t catch the virus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis morning a little 4-year-old came in to get his regular vaccinations, but I noticed his heart was beating a bit fast, so I sent him for a Covid test: it came back positive,\u201d said Lindo. \u201cThe parents hadn\u2019t noticed anything and were very surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others come in with body aches. \u201cThe other day a child came in with pain in one little foot,\u201d she added. \u201cIt turned out to be Covid.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s \u201cshocking\u201d for parents when they learn their children are infected with the virus, the pediatrician notes, given the amount of misinformation that continues to circulate within the Latino community.<\/p>\n

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Dr. Ruth Carleton Lindo is a pediatrician at the Oscar Romero Clinic in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Spanish-language articles, ads and programs routinely appear online and on social media, decrying the dangers of Covid vaccines, questioning their efficacy, or promoting alternative treatments known to be ineffective against the virus.<\/p>\n

More than two years into the pandemic, Latinos remain among the most vulnerable population, overrepresented in frontline jobs that put them at increased risk of exposure.<\/p>\n

That is particularly worrisome given the recent surge in infections fueled by the new B4 and B5 Omicron variants, now the dominant strains in the U.S. and more contagious than previous versions of the virus. And while hospitalization rates are lower\u2014thanks to vaccines and boosters, as well as immunity from past infections\u2014the new strains appear able to bypass the body\u2019s immune system defenses.<\/p>\n

California made\u00a0vaccines available<\/a>\u00a0to children under 5 in June, and while the response from Latino parents has been generally enthusiastic, others remain skeptical.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey come in with their little ones who have coughs and runny noses, and when I suggest testing, they say, \u2018Oh no, it couldn\u2019t be that,\u2019\u201d Lindo explains. \u201cMany parents refuse the test: my child can\u2019t have Covid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shifting attitudes about vaccines<\/h2>\n

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Hispanics\u00a0narrowing the gap<\/a>\u00a0when it comes to vaccination rates, and Lindo says she\u2019s seen similar anecdotal trends when it comes to vaccines for children under 5.<\/p>\n

Still, there are those who have had the vaccine but refuse to let their children be immunized, while some continue to refuse the vaccine both for themselves and their children, in some cases even after they or their children have contracted the virus multiple times.<\/p>\n

One persistent and especially pernicious rumor claims the vaccine causes infertility. While there\u2019s been zero evidence of this from the science community, Lindo says some severe cases of Covid infections have been seen to impact male fertility.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the time they don\u2019t tell me the exact reason, or I am given to understand that it is related to what they\u2019ve heard on social media, or a friend told them something. Some even mention they\u2019ve heard it in church,\u201d explains Lindo.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to make them aware of the high rates of spread in the community, that it\u2019s an imminent danger, not theoretical. I try to get them to understand that the strain is very contagious and there is a high chance that their child will be infected,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Playing Russian roulette<\/h2>\n

While the severity of Covid cases in children and adolescents tends to be much lower than in adults the risks are real, says Lindo.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren can have severe symptoms and die from Covid,\u201d she notes. \u201cAlthough it happens less than among older people, you can\u2019t assume your child won\u2019t get seriously ill. If you do, you\u2019re playing Russian Roulette.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the dangers, tropes on social media often minimize or outright deny the facts, arguing that vaccines pose risks to children, that getting the vaccine is worse that contracting the virus, or that pharmaceutical companies are looking to cash in on the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Parents influenced by such messages will often take the chance on milder infections, something Lindo warns against. \u201cI always tell doubters that they can\u2019t rely on that \u2018mild\u2019 case of Covid. It doesn\u2019t work that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Provisional\u00a0data from the CDC<\/a>\u00a0shows 829 deaths from Covid nationwide among children age 5 to 18, and 431 deaths among children age 0-4 years old.<\/p>\n

Symptoms among children can include severe headaches or repeated vomiting, Lindo explains, adding that even in cases where symptoms are mild, Covid infections can result in long-term health problems.<\/p>\n

Still, the recent approval of the Pfizer-BioNtech and Moderna vaccines for children under 5 years old has revealed lingering doubts among Latino parents about the vaccines.<\/p>\n

According to a\u00a0Kaiser Family Foundation survey<\/a>, 38% of parents indicated they are taking a \u201cwait and see\u201d approach to vaccinating their youngest kids, while nearly 30% said they would not vaccinate them at all, no matter what.<\/p>\n

For Lindo, those numbers tell only half the story.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just started with the campaign, and so far, the responses have been enthusiastic,\u201d she says, adding that with the latest surge, people are becoming more open to being immunized. \u201cI often hear parents say, \u2018I didn\u2019t realize my child could get it Covid.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

This story is part of\u00a0Myth\u00a0Busters<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0a\u00a0groundbreaking\u00a0fellowship program coordinated by Ethnic Media Services and funded by the California Department of Public Health\u2018s\u00a0VaccinateAll58<\/a>\u00a0campaign to dispel myths about Covid 19 and vaccines in California\u2019s Latino communities.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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