As a young pediatrician, I couldn’t agree more with Rachel M. Pearson’s observations in her Sept. 19 Outlook essay, “How I persuade parents to vaccinate their children.” Doctors in training need to learn the science and data as much as we need to learn how to relate to and accompany our patients and their families in making these difficult decisions.
It is also incredibly important for the whole public to advocate to address disparities in access to and information about vaccines. President Biden’s move to require paid time off for vaccination and aftereffects is a good start. An example of disparities is demonstrated in a May 2021 Kaiser poll that showed a large proportion of the Hispanic population was unaware of their eligibility for vaccination and had fears about losing pay.
We must invest heavily in continued multilingual campaigns that vaccines are available to those 12 and up, free, effective and safe. We must also broaden access by funding vaccination sites in areas with high poverty. Our policymakers should continue to eliminate every barrier so doctors such as Dr. Pearson and I can continue to help parents keep all our children safe without them worrying about the financial cost.
Nathan L’Etoile, Philadelphia
