SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — San Diego County is ramping up its efforts to get teenagers and people under the age of 35 vaccinated for COVID-19. At Wednesday's county update on coronavirus, the Board Supervisor Chair discussed plans to make the vaccine more accessible to them and now some parents are weighing in on the issue.
News 8 talked to one parent who said it only made sense for his family to get his teenage daughter vaccinated after doing a lot of research on the vaccine and getting vaccinated himself.
Vaccines became available for anyone age 16 and up two weeks ago and now San Diego County officials are making efforts to get more young people vaccinated.
"Those between 16 and 34 may not be hesitant to get a vaccine but may not see it as a convenient option. So, we're engaging with a lot of community partners and a lot of thought into how we can increase participation there," said Nathan Fletcher, San Diego County Board Supervisor Chair.
Eric Strahm has a 17-year-old daughter in the San Diego Unified School District and said after both he and his wife were vaccinated a couple of months ago, he gave his daughter the option to be vaccinated too and she agreed.
"Our biggest fear is with young people is that they can get the virus and we didn't know it, and they pass it on to someone else that could have a much bigger reaction. So that fear is virtually gone," Strahm said.
Strahm said his family did the necessary research on the vaccine and are now satisfied with their decision.
"It was an easy decision for us because we like the technology. We've been reading all of the studies. We've been reading all of the reports and we firmly believe it's safe," Strahm said.
On Thursday, Sweetwater Union High School District will kick off its 100-day vaccination campaign. Five hundred students ages 16 and older, will have the chance to get the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccination effort is the region's first site to open solely for teens.
National City's Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis supports the effort and said at least 200 students have already registered to be vaccinated at Sweetwater High School Thursday morning.