Q&A – The Updated Facts About Child Covid Vaccinations & Florida’s Guidance
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Today’s Entry: @brianmuddradio Bring us the facts on the child vax again. The CDC’s rec is outrageous! People need to know the truth!
Bottom Line: Last week’s CDC recommendation that school immunization schedules include a COVID-19 vaccine was extraordinary in numerous respects. It marks the first time in the CDC’s history a school immunization schedule is recommended to include a vaccination for a seasonal/flu virus. Additionally, it’s a recommendation for a vaccination to combat a virus which children, at large, aren’t susceptible to obtaining significant symptoms if contracted. Context is always key, and this context is hugely significant as we evaluate the merits of what’s happened here. Here’s something else that’s extraordinary in the CDC’s recommendation. They issued it recommended zero clinic data supporting the recommendation. That is as stunning as it is potentially damning of this recommendation. Its prompted members of Congress to demand a release of clinical data studied as a basis for this recommendation – which btw, is something the CDC may not be able to ignore should Republicans reclaim Congress. But in the here and now the question is whether there is any clinical data supporting this recommendation? The CDC quite literally said they “feel” the benefits outweigh the negatives. The role of science isn’t to “feel”. It’s to provide evidence and solutions.
Notably, it was early this year when using actual data, Florida’s Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo recommended against children being vaccinated for COVID-19. Here’s the official statement he originally issued through the Florida Department of Health:
The Florida Department of Health (Department) is the first state in the nation to issue guidance stating that healthy children from ages 5 to 17 may not benefit from receiving the currently available COVID-19 vaccine. The Department recommends that children with underlying conditions are the best candidates for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Right, so at Dr. Ladapo’s direction, the DOH’s recommendation was that healthy children between the ages of 5 to 17 not be vaccinated against COVID-19, while the recommendation for those with underlying health conditions remained unchanged from the CDC’s guidance. As for the data itself... The CDC maintains a regularly updated spreadsheet online - documenting all deaths attributed to COVID-19, pneumonia and influenza. This is something I've used to illustrate points throughout the course of the pandemic. The spreadsheet breaks down all data by age. As of the current CDC information available, a total of 1,120 children between the ages of 5-17, those of grade school age at the start of a school year, have died of COVID-19 in the United States. That means children between the ages of 5-17 have accounted for 0.0009% of Covid-attributed deaths in the United States since the onset of the pandemic. Additionally, and to Dr. Ladapo’s point, there’s zero available evidence even one of those 1,120 children were healthy prior to contracting COVID-19. Also, as I’ve previously pointed out – far more children have died of pneumonia than Covid since the onset of the pandemic. According to the CDC’s data – during the same window of time 1,578 children between the ages of 5-17 have died of pneumonia. This proves pneumonia is a meaningfully greater risk than Covid to children – yet interestingly there’s been no hyped pneumonia concerns by the CDC or news media. That’s because statistically – the risk of both to children are nil.
Additionally, while studies exist showing the approved Covid vaccines can still reduce the risk of serious symptoms for those who contract COVID-19, there are no available studies showing the vaccines retaining meaningful efficacy at prevention against the current mutations of the virus. The data empirically support the Florida Department of Health recommendation that healthy children are not vaccinated, while those with risk factors should prioritize vaccination. And then there’s the adverse reaction consideration. As it pertains to myocarditis...
As of October 13th, the CDC and FDA had confirmed 685 cases of myocarditis directly attributed to Covid vaccinations in children between the ages of 5-17. An additional 255 cases are currently being investigated to determine whether a vaccine was responsible. As always there are two sides to stories and one side to facts. The facts clearly support the decision by Dr. Joseph Ladapo and the specific guidance provided by the Florida Department of Health and demand the CDC release clinical data to support their recommendation. Of course, in the free state of Florida, parents have the choice as to if their children will be vaccinated for Covid as our state’s law bans any Covid vaccination mandates at any age.