MSNBC wants to scare parents into vaccinating their children against COVID-19. Pfizer wants to have their COVID vaccine for children five years old and under approved by FDA. Former Obama White House policy advisor Dr. Zeke Emanuel spoke on the left-wing network, claiming that COVID vaccinations are a “no brainer”.
Kristen Welker, host, cited a poll that showed 31% of parents with children under five years old will have their kids vaccinated immediately, 29% will wait and see, and 25% will not.
Emanuel accused parents of being afraid of side effects and then falsely claimed that “With the Omicron variant, children are either going to receive the vaccine or they’re likely get a serious condition of the omicron.”
Since a long time, we know that Omicron is less transmissible than other variants and can be fatal in children and adults. CNN reported last month that Omicron-infected children under 5 years old have “significantly less severe outcomes” than those who contract the Delta variant. “The preprint study confirms that Omicron is ‘inherently milder than Delta’ among children younger than 5.
We knew from before the omicron that children were extremely safe from COVID. A study done in the U.K. last year found that children who have not been vaccinated are more protected from COVID than adults. School-age children actually have a COVID recovery rate of 99.997%, which is higher than their mortality from seasonal flu.
This is misleading. The evidence has shown that vaccines are not effective in preventing the omicron variant of the disease. However, they may decrease the severity of the symptoms. As we have already noted, COVID is already extremely mild in school-age children, and omicron is even more so. Dr. Emanuel said that he is “confused” by parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. It seems like a simple task for five-year-olds and older.
Dr. Emanuel is incorrect. It is not easy to get your children vaccinated. He is simply trying to scare parents into believing that their children will get seriously ill if they don’t get vaccinated against COVID. MSNBC provided him with a soapbox without any counterpoint. This is what media do. The media falsely claimed that December saw an increase in child COVID hospitalizations.
We’ve reported previously that myocarditis is possible in young men who have received a second dose mRNA vaccine. Doran Fink M.D. is the deputy director of FDA’s Division of Vaccines and Related Products Applications. “When you consider the risks and benefits, we can see that myocarditis risk is higher than COVID-19 risk in men under 40.”
Experts from Sweden are in agreement. Experts in Sweden agree. Last month, Swedish health officials decided not to recommend COVID vaccinations for children aged 5-12 years old. They argued that the risks are too great.
Parents are actually weighing the benefits and risks of vaccinations for their children and making decisions based on their evaluation. High-risk children should be vaccinated. Children who aren’t at high risk probably won’t need it. Parents who are reasonable can come to the sensible conclusion that their children should not be vaccinated against COVID.
