JACKSONVILLE, Fla — A group of Jacksonville teens is discussing concerns and offering solutions when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Nonprofit volunteer organization for middle and high schoolers I'm A Star Foundation partnered with the Florida Times-Union to host a live, virtual discussion with Jacksonville medical professionals Thursday evening. The one-hour event was streamed on the newspaper's website and social media platforms.
The panel, "Vaccine Discussions: Conversations between Jacksonville's youth and health experts on the COVID-19 vaccine," offered a group of 12- to 18-year-old students the opportunity to share the issue of distrust among their peers regarding a COVID-19 vaccine and get answers from health experts about the risks and benefits.
The idea for the panel came from I'm A Star's 2020 Leader to Leader Summit last weekend, a virtual collaboration with local, state and national policymakers, when the discussion of uncertainty surrounding the vaccine was voiced. The Florida Times-Union offered a partnership to provide a platform for Thursday night's conversation.
The panel of experts included Bethany Atkins, a Baptist Medical Center pediatrician; Kim Barbel Johnson and Rogers Cain, both local physicians; Monica Valdez-Lupi, managing director of health for the Kresge Foundation and a senior advisor on the CDC Foundation's COVID-19 efforts; and Leon Haley, physician and CEO of UF Health Jacksonville. Haley was also the first person in the state of Florida to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine earlier this week.
In addition to doctors and health care professionals, the teens interviewed Sophia Upshaw, a biomedical engineering doctoral candidate who is also participating in Moderna's COVID-19 clinical trial.
I'm A Star students are conducting research with a focus group who received the vaccination and shared their findings during Thursday's discussion, the Times-Union reported.
The Pfizer vaccine rolled out Monday after receiving emergency Food and Drug Administration approval on Friday, Dec. 11. Moderna's vaccine received an endorsement from an FDA panel Thursday, moving it one step closer to being distributed in the U.S.
You can watch the playback of the full I'm A Star and Florida Times-Union discussion panel below.