PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — As the COVID-19 vaccine roll out continues for those 16 years old and older, trials are about to ramp up to determine how effective the vaccines are on children – and one Prairie Village family wants to participate in the trial if they are chosen.
"We want the pandemic over, so the only way to make that happen is to get as many people vaccinated," said Peggy Tuttle, who participated in the AstraZeneca trial last year. "Of course there's a risk, but if you're healthy you should step up and take that risk."
Tuttle's 12-year-old daughter Caroline saw her mother go through the process and wants to participate in a children's trial so children her age can get the vaccine.
"I want to be a part of the trial because I want to, like, help the world to where it was before," Caroline Tuttle said. "You get to be a part of history and science."
It's a world that's changed a lot, especially for this age group.
"I've been like a little more stressed about school and stuff because I went to a new school this year, and I didn't really know a lot about the teachers and not being able to see my friends and hang out with them has been kind of hard too," Caroline Tuttle said.
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Peggy Tuttle said she is proud her daughter wants to step up and be a part of the solution.
"Since we have so many successes with so many adults being vaccinated, there's no reason to fear putting it in a child system," she said.
The Tuttles want to help provide research to defeat the virus and bring a sense of normalcy to people of all ages.
"It would be really nice to get them their childhood back and not have to play soccer with a mask on or anything like that," Peggy Tuttle said. "It's just not the same. They're not having the same childhood."
Children's Mercy in Kansas City is looking into its own trials involving children and the COVID-19 vaccine. More information about that trial can be found on the Children's Mercy website.
