The dangers of crying "Wolf"
... COVID vaccines on the child immunization schedule
Two of my favorite bloggers, Vinay Prasad and Bari Weiss have teamed up to publicize the folly of the CDC’s latest decision to add COVID vaccines to the US childhood immunization schedule:
From the article:
“We do not intrude upon individual autonomy unless that intervention provides sufficient benefit to third parties. This means there must be a large benefit to others— enough so the loss of autonomy is acceptable. Given that the Covid-19 vaccine does not halt virus transmission, the prerequisite is not met. “
“The harm to kids from substandard education—after nearly two years of disruption—far exceeds any gains from compliance. And that harm will disproportionately hurt poor, black kids. The same is true for mandates that prevent kids from participating in school sports.”
“One of the worst outcomes of the CDC Covid-19 vaccination recommendation would be if parents decide it is unnecessary for their children to get the Covid shot, they will also skip vital vaccines that have been saving lives for decades.”
“We need the public to believe in medically essential vaccines and be willing to give them to their children. To add an unnecessary and controversial vaccine to this list—at the risk of some states or local actors mandating it—undermines the broader good of public health.
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