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Talk To Us: COVID Questions

Asheville City Schools
Students and community members get vaccinated at a weekend Clinic at Asheville Middle School. "More than 170 North Carolinians received a COVID-19 vaccine during Saturday's clinic!" tweeted ACS

 

BPR is answering listener queries about the Coronavirus in a new segment –Talk to Us: COVID Questions.  BPR’s Helen Chickering talks with a local expert about some of the concerns parents and caregivers may have about the COVID-19 vaccine and children. 

 “I think as parents, it's very reasonable to have a little bit of hesitancy, introducing something new to your child,”

That’s  Dr. Rebecca Putnam, Medical Director of the Acute Care Clinic at Mahec at Mountain Area Health Education Center, (MAHEC) in Asheville  talking about the conversation she has with parents and caregivers who might be on the fence about the Pfizer COVID vaccine recently approved for 12 to 15 year olds.

“So I like to make sure that you're getting your information about the vaccine from reputable sources. Your doctor is an excellent source of information about the vaccine,” says Putnam.  “There's so much information out there right now that it  can feel hard to know who to trust.”                                             

“There's a lot of misinformation and things that we know are not true. Like this vaccine does not cause infertility, you cannot make other people sick by being vaccinated yourself. It does not actually cause you to have COVID.”

“Thankfully we have had a very large trial in adults of this vaccine with the number of Americans and others across the world who have already received this vaccine. So while it might be newer, it's actually one of the best studied vaccine that we've had in a long time.  But, if there's any doubts, I think it makes sense to talk to a trusted healthcare professional, whether that's your child's doctor or your doctor.”

You can search for the Pfizer vaccine in WNC at myspot.nc.gov.

Do you have a COVID vaccine question you'd like answered record a voice memo and send it to voices@bpr.org or use the talk to us feature on the free BPR mobile app. I'm Helen Chickering BPR news.

Helen Chickering is a host and reporter on Blue Ridge Public Radio. She joined the station in November 2014.
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