BALTIMORE — We met 5-year-old Dylan and his 6-year-old sister, Chloe, a few weeks ago.
Both will be heading off to school next week, but their mother, Brittany Turner, told us she wouldn’t get them vaccinated even if it’s approved for children under 12, because she’s not convinced that it’s safe.
“I was about to get it, but then I actually looked it up some more to see if it’s FDA approved before I can get something that I don’t know about that’s going inside my body,” said Turner.
The question now is whether those who share Turner’s hesitancy will change their minds about its safety with the FDA’s stamp of approval.
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It has long been suggested the emergency designation surrounding the vaccines had kept many private and public entities from mandating them on a widespread basis.
“If we were to see metrics go in a much more concerning place and we thought it was necessary, then we would need to have that conversation with our employees,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan reacted to the news in a written statement saying, “For people who are still hesitant about getting the vaccine, this is an assurance that it has met the most rigorous standards for safety and effectiveness.”
Hogan also is calling on the feds to expedite approval of the vaccines for children five-to-11 years old and to make booster shots available as soon as possible for seniors and vulnerable populations.
