Children & COVID-19 VaccinationCovid Is Less Risky to Children than Covid Vaccines
We should be careful about vaccinating children against the COVID-19 because it is likely that more children will die from the effects of the vaccine than from Covid itself.
The emergence of a new COVID variant may have intensified the debate over whether or not children should be vaccinated, but the scientific verdict is clear: It supports the argument that we should be careful about vaccinating children against the COVID-19 because it is likely that more children will die from the effects of the vaccine than from Covid itself.
The US Centers for Disease Control maintains - by law - a Vaccine Adverse Reaction program, or VAERS, to track deaths or injuries from reactions to vaccines. Anybody can post reports to the VAERS about injuries and negative side-effects from vaccines, but only physicians can post reports of vaccine-related deaths. As of last week, the CDC reported 9,810 deaths in America from the effects of Covid vaccines. The CDC defended the vaccines as safe, noting that the death rate is only 0.0022%.
It is true that 9,810 deaths represent a low rate of death from 442 million vaccine doses - but it’s not nothing. And because children have barely begun receiving the Covid vaccines, nearly all the deaths occurred among adults.
Data indicate that children - especially boys - have far higher rates, relative to adults, of death and serious injury (myocarditis) in reaction to Covid vaccines. If we extrapolate from the 0.0022% adult death rate and apply this percentage the number of American children who will be vaccinated, we will likely see 2,500 child deaths in America from the effects of Covid vaccines.
But it is a fact that children almost never die from Covid itself. The CDC is now referring to a figure of “800 child deaths” over two years from Covid - although we note that that number has increased from a reported “325 child deaths” just a few months ago. And most of those deaths, each one a tragedy, are among already very sick children.
Regardless, the 2,500 children who are likely to die from a negative reaction to the vaccine is a far higher number of deaths than either 800 or 325 child deaths from Covid.
Are we going to treat as “acceptable” the death of 2,500 children, who would likely die from the effects of the vaccine, to save 325 or 800, who may die from Covid?
No vaccine has ever been approved if its use leads to more deaths than the lives it saves.
These are hard questions. Some counties have banned Covid vaccination of children. Other countries have allowed it. The U.S. should follow the former group of countries.
This Editorial is published courtesy of the North Shore Leader.
