COVID isn't over. RFK Jr.'s vaccine recommendation is a terrible choice.
The recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' announcement to no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant women and children may be one of the worst public health decisions in the history of the United States, having a long-lasting detrimental impact on the future of our society, our children.
The logic behind this decision is obscure at best, which may be why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention referred questions regarding this policy to the U.S. Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and to the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services. For women and children, COVID-19 can be a serious disease, and COVID-19 vaccines and boosters help protect the pregnant mother, newborns and children. Pregnancy is a risk factor for severe COVID-19. The British Medical Journal published a large review of studies and concluded that COVID-19 increases the risk of maternal death and severe maternal morbidities (e.g., mechanical ventilation, thromboembolic disease).
On one hand, the federal government recommends a COVID-19 booster for those over the age of 65 and for younger adults and children who have at least one risk factor, but then not recommend for those who are at risk because they are pregnant. COVID-19 vaccinations have been observed to effectively increase antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus which causes COVID-19) and reduce the chances of a premature delivery. COVID-19 boosters are also safe during pregnancy and have not been found to be associated with spontaneous abortions. The decision to withhold COVID-19 vaccinations for children demonstrates a myopic approach to science and a lack of critical thinking. It appears policymakers are only focused on the prevention of death and hospitalization, defining this outcome as severe disease and assuming everything else is mild. This approach ignores the severe and chronic disabling effects of long COVID in children.
It is true that on average children have milder COVID-19 infections and develop long COVID less commonly than adults. However, milder does not mean mild, and less common does not mean uncommon. It is estimated that approximately 4% of children will develop long COVID, compared to 10% to 26% for adults.
This is way too high of an incidence for children, especially when re-infections are all too common. Long COVID in children can be serious. COVID-19 increases the chances of a child developing diabetes, other seemingly unrelated infections (for example respiratory syncytial virus [RSV] infections) and cognitive, mental health problems.
Vaccinations have been found to reduce the chances of children developing long COVID. So maybe we should recommend and not discourage their use. Children can also spread the disease and place others at risk. This was known early on in the pandemic. I'm not sure how the public began to believe children did not pose a risk to others. Children are germ magnets, a life principle held by many parents and grandparents. Children readily spread every respiratory disease that I can think of. Why would COVID be any different?
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How does our nation confront these public health risks? Simple, blame problems on lockdowns, ignore epidemiological evidence and quit counting cases. Then recommend against pregnant mothers and children receiving the vaccine.
Clinical studies, medical record data and data from the V-Safe program have documented the vaccine's safety. VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) is not intended or designed to determine the risks of complications, only to identify potential complications to be investigated. Similar to Facebook, inaccurate or malicious reports can also be entered by AI bots and foreign adversaries to stir social discontent. In general, vaccines are watered-down infections. They boost your immunity while markedly decreasing, but not completely eliminating, severe complications.
The mRNA vaccine does not change one's DNA, and the dosage of the spike protein is much smaller than one receives from an infection. If vaccines are as dangerous as social media disinformation says, then multiply these dangers by several magnitudes when an infection develops. If one is worried about mRNA, then obtain the protein-based vaccine, Novavax, which may have lower side effects and should have better standardization of the delivery dosage.
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We soon will be at risk of facing another wave of COVID from the Nb.1.8.1 variant, which is currently spreading across Southeast Asia and just landed in the United States. This variant has increased infectivity and immune-evasive properties. Everyone should become vaccinated and up to date with their COVID-19 boosters, including pregnant women and children. COVID is not over, it is still dangerous, and can cause serious long-term sequelae that may not be evident for months or years after the acute infection. We need to update our nation's vaccination policy, not based on political populism, but to reflect the realities of the world we are living in.
Agree or disagree? Submit a letter to the editor.
Kevin Kavanagh is a retired physician from Somerset, Kentucky and chairman of Health Watch USA.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: I'm a retired doctor. Kennedy's COVID policy will hurt US. | Opinion
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