Florida’s New Recommendation Against Vaccinations for Children Received Swift and Deserved Condemnation from the Medical Community
Earlier this week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appeared at a panel with discredited conspiracy theorists and his controversial surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo. At the event, Dr. Ladapo announced that Florida would recommend against vaccinating healthy children.
Doctors in Florida responded with outrage, as shown in a new video by the Coronavirus War Room. Multiple studies have disproved the lies repeated by Dr. Ladapo in his announcement.
Governor DeSantis has ignored medical experts and denied science and facts, causing more hospitalizations and deaths and slowing our economic recovery. By trying to score political points at the expense of the health and safety of Floridians, Governor DeSantis’ actions are only serving to prolong this pandemic. As one doctor put it, “There’s definitely some other agenda that seems to be driving this decision.”
Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo: “Based on currently available data, the risks of administering COVID-19 vaccination among healthy children may outweigh the benefits.” [Florida Department of Health, 3/8/22]
Fact Check: The data Ladapo referred to is a single study, which has not been peer-reviewed, suggesting immunity from the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine waned faster in children between 5 to 11, compared to children 12 to 17. Despite this, the study found the vaccine still dramatically reduced the risk of severe illness leading to hospitalization in younger children. The study concluded that vaccination of children 5 to 11 was still recommended, and stressed the importance of utilizing additional protections for children, including mask wearing.
Background:
Young Children Can Experience Severe COVID Illness. The CDC has confirmed children are just as likely as adults to contract COVID-19. As of October 2021, the CDC found 8,300 young children between 5 and 11 have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection and nearly 100 had died as a result. For the week ending January 2, 2022, an average of 672 children were admitted to hospitals every day due to COVID infection, demonstrating the serious risk of the Omicron variant to unvaccinated children. COVID-19 ranks as one of the top 10 causes of death for children between 5 and 11.
Children Face Unique Health Risks From Contracting COVID. Children who are infected with COVID-19 can develop serious complications, such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome. This condition causes inflammation to various organs, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs. Thousands of cases have been reported in young children between 5 and 11.
Benefits Of COVID-19 Vaccination In Children Outweigh Potential Risks. Prior to recommending vaccination for young children, rigorous clinical trials were conducted on thousands of children. The FDA authorized COVID vaccinations for children 5 to 11 because no serious medical or safety concerns were found as the result of these thorough clinical trials. Complications from the vaccine, such as myocarditis or severe allergic reaction are extremely rare. The CDC found that “during clinical trials, no cases of myocarditis occurred in children ages 5 through 11 years who received the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Local Officials Are Essential In Promoting Vaccination Equity. The CDC recognizes that medical and systemic racism have created mistrust of the medical system among racial and ethnic minority groups. One of the CDC’s recommendations for increasing COVID vaccination in communities of color that have experienced medical mistreatment or discrimination is to engage local officals in the education and outreach process. Governor DeSantis’ politicalization of the COVID-19 vaccine only further undermines the trust in public health and medical professionals.