COVID-19 Vaccines for Youth

COVID-19 vaccination of youth is a highly controversial topic for many reasons. For simplicity, youth here is defined as those <18 years of age. The arguments for vaccinating youth are generally similar among those under 18 years of age, though there exists some variation in the risk profile within this age group. Where necessary, those arguments are separated by more specific age classes.

Johns Hopkins Medicine encouraged “all families to have eligible children vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine”¹⁾ and provided five benefits as justification of this decision:

1. The vaccine helps prevent kids from getting COVID-19
2. The vaccine helps prevent or reduce the spread of COVID-19
3. Getting vaccinated for COVID-19 can help stop other variants from emerging
4. Having your child vaccinated for COVID can help restore a more normal life
5. COVID-19 vaccines help protect the community

The data in support and in opposition to each of these claims is evaluated below to understand the strength of the benefits in the risk-benefit analysis of vaccinating youth against COVID-19.

There are four metrics to evaluate within this claim: the efficacy of vaccines in preventing 1) cases 2) symptomatic cases 3) hospitalization cases and 4) deaths.

[data here]

There is no evidence that vaccines protect against the emergence of novel virus variants. A 2015 study illustrated one potential mechanism under which leaky vaccines enhance the transmission of virulent pathogens.²⁾

The notion of needing to “restore a more normal life” rests on the premise that an emergency is ongoing. While COVID-19 does pose a threat to some populations, children are not among them. As stated by the Canadian Academics for Covid Ethics, the emergency as passed. In battling COVID-19, “we won. We should be celebrating and resuming life, not vaccinating children, a group for whom the threat of COVID-19 never constituted an emergency.”³⁾

[data here]

Children have suffered far lower rates of COVID-19 illness during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/12Qu5qpPbR4xzcRzIdC-dwSmytC6-T03djrdxMKBQ4Es/edit#

Children and COVID mortality https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.07.01.21259785v1 https://www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3249 “The CDC’s MMWR in Sept or Dec 2020 published an article about the kids who had died from Covid. I blogged about it. There were roughly 100, and CDC claimed 3/4 of them had preexisting conditions.

So I wonder where Makary got his data.

There have been two papers I am aware of published about pedi hospitalizations from Covid at two pedi hospitals in CA. In one paper, 4 kids died, all of whom had severe preexisting conditions. Perhaps that is what he was referring to. “ https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7023e1.htm “admitted during January 1–March 31, 2021, and hospitalization rates (hospitalizations per 100,000 persons) among adolescents during March 1, 2020–April 24, 2021. Among 204 adolescents who were likely hospitalized primarily for COVID-19 during January 1–March 31, 2021, 31.4% were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), and 4.9% required invasive mechanical ventilation; there were no associated deaths.” Estimation, what? https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7042e1.htm

On November 2, 2021, the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine was approved by the CDC, after the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) favored the move in a unanimous vote (14-0).⁴⁾ This action came four days after the FDA granted emergency use authorization of the vaccine in ages as young as five.⁵⁾ About 28 million children in this age group reside in the US. The ongoing clinical trial (C4591007), conducted on about 3,100 children, administered a dose of 10 micrograms, followed by the same dose 21 days later. The BNT162b2 vaccine for 5-11 year-olds was administered at 1/3 the dose of the 12 years and older vaccine. Interestingly, the 5-11 year-old vaccine was also reformulated after the trial assessment was performed, to “improve stability”, per the FDA Briefing Document provided by Pfizer on Oct. 26, 2021. The phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) has been removed, as have the sodium chloride and potassium chloride. In their place, PfizerBioNTech uses tromethamine (aka TRIS) buffer.⁶⁾ The vials of BNT162b have a bright orange cap, to distinguish them from the adult vaccine, and each one provides 10 doses, once diluted with 1.3mL of .9% sodium chloride. ⁷⁾

https://twitter.com/WaltHerlihy/status/1451477793246793730?s=20

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/leave-those-kids-alone-useless-covid-jabs-may-harm-your-children/

See also the list of COVID-19 vaccine injuries in children

Given that the risks of COVID-19 in children are relatively low, COVID-19 vaccines fail to provide sterile immunity, vaccine efficacy is in question, and these vaccines seem to result in an array of deadly and potential deadly adverse events, there seems to be a starkly negative risk-benefit associated with vaccinating children.⁸⁾

Rigged votes in FDA/CDC hearings?

https://www.euronews.com/next/2021/09/14/covid-vaccine-for-children-who-in-europe-is-leading-the-race https://twitter.com/dontcensorme21/status/1455708319826550784?s=20

PFIZER AND BIONTECH RECEIVE FIRST U.S. FDA EMERGENCY USE AUTHORIZATION OF A COVID-19 VACCINE IN CHILDREN AGES 5 THROUGH 11 YEARS

Pfizer and BioNTech Announce Positive Topline Results From Pivotal Trial of COVID-19 Vaccine in Children 5 to 11 Years

From CDC Provisional COVID-19 Deaths: Focus on Ages 0-18 Years

Covid-19 and Vaccination Risks in Children A Resource for Parents

S K, [04.11.21 13:39] <500 C19 deaths in 5-18 age group. Which is almost certainly inflated

Connor Charchuk, [04.11.21 13:40] Yeah all the data I've found (and what appears to be what the FDA based this decision on) is state data which is reported as 0-17 years or 0-19 years - nothing about 5-11 years specifically.

S K, [04.11.21 13:41] [In reply to Connor Charchuk] CDC provisional I liked above is 5-18

S K, [04.11.21 13:42] And 0-4

Connor Charchuk, [04.11.21 13:43] Is there similar data for cases and hospitalizations?

Brian, [04.11.21 13:43] [In reply to Connor Charchuk] https://tobyrogers.substack.com/p/what-is-the-number-needed-to-vaccinate

Brian, [04.11.21 13:44] [In reply to S K] 173 in the 5-11 age group have died From COVID according to the CDC

S K, [04.11.21 13:45] [In reply to Connor Charchuk] Maybe, but I haven’t seen it. I would think there’s some kind of provisional data that the CDC queue rates for that. The question of data integrity is pretty serious with all that though. The definition of a case really depends on when the testing was done and by whom

Andrew, [04.11.21 13:47] Of course the risk is inflated. 86-92% of pediatric hospitalizations are NOT for COVID. They simply test positive during screening while being hospitalized for something else. https://hosppeds.aappublications.org/content/11/8/e159

Andrew, [04.11.21 13:47] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34011566/

Andrew, [04.11.21 13:47] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34011567/

Cody Porter, [04.11.21 13:55] Ugh. One day I'm going to stop being surprised by how blatant they are.

Cody Porter, [04.11.21 13:55] https://www.fda.gov/media/150386/download

Cody Porter, [04.11.21 13:56] Midway through page 8 and into page 9

Cody Porter, [04.11.21 13:56] Pfizer doesn't make any comirnaty

Cody Porter, [04.11.21 13:57] Therefore there's no “available alternative” to their EUA vaccine

Diane linked to the FDA briefing document above, but I feel it needs a prominent place on this page. Link to document: https://www.fda.gov/media/153447/download. Risk Benefit analysis begins on page 32. The following can be found on pg 33: “Under Scenario 3 (lowest incidence), the model predicts more excess hospitalizations due to vaccine-related myocarditis/pericarditis compared to prevented hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in males and in both sexes combined.” This is taken out of context, so read carefully, but it is an important statement, as long as context is observed.

https://rairfoundation.com/great-britain-excess-mortality-among-children-after-vaccine-rollout/Great Britain: Excess Mortality Among Children After Vaccine Rollout