Vinay, I can think of virtually nothing that they have not screwed up recently. It is why the US is designed as a federation of States, not as a monolithic re-election machine. The harm done to the citizenry by this administration (both legislative and administrative) will take decades to show and large parts will be permanent.
You are completely correct in your thinking, but far, far too kind.
It is soul-crushing to think that politicians would use children as pawns to improve their election odds... using political opportunism as the basis for giving children potentially harmful (or at best useless) medication, so the children's health status might further their political ambitions. Wow. And yet I wouldn't put this past any of our current crop of "leaders" and public health appointees.
Don't know if the Biden admin was pushed for younger kids to be vaccinated. But it seems clear that many more Democrats were consumed by Covid fear than were Republicans. Perhaps that required the admin to pressure the FDA. For a while as the FDA was pushing makers for trials, the makers seemed cautious but now are on-board given they face no liability.
These mRNA vaccines seem ill advised for any under 60 and questionable for those older. We are seeing their ineffectiveness now and have no idea about the long term for anybody. We have placed great faith in the vaccines but those under 60 face a mild risk if healthy and now have various therapeutics that are well known should someone become infected. And mouth/nasal sanitation seems a solid preventative as needed after exposure before viral replication starts.
Walgreens data also seems to show higher positivity in vaccinated adults FWIW. Since someone as pro-vaccine as Paul Offit raised the possibility of OAS as a “theoretical risk,” it worries me that we’re boosting kids based on a strain of Covid that no longer exists.
No question these issues should not be political, and yet, they are entirely political! It’s shocking how invisible the science and scientists in particular have become. So, what a surprise, politicians are entirely unchallenged and so for them, its a political windfall to simply measure the virtuous direction of the public in order to win votes. Easiest environment in decades for them. Who needs advisors?
As far as children and vaccines, I can’t find any argument for vaccinating children at all. My grandchildren ages 3 to 10 have all had Omicron and the duration was 4 hours to 48 hours long. Symptoms were so mild as to barely be noticeable even though multiple tests were strongly positive. Any cold would have been way worse and lasted much longer. Over the past year, other kids in their classrooms would test positive also, so a few sporadic days off would occur, otherwise, just a big nothingburger.
Definitely a different story for old and compromised people whom in my view are better off vaccinated, but why we insist on ignoring the reality that virulence falls dramatically with age is simply moronic. Seems governments are only good at communicating fear. Omicron really is the best thing to happen in this pandemic, but politicians are quite incapable of saying any of these words. I guess we know why, but it shouldn’t be this way.
Many European countries (around 20 now I think) have followed Denmark’s lead and have ended all pandemic measures completely, at least partly because Omicron infection is critical for immunity. Many have also ended their vaccination programs because the vast majority of their public already have natural immunity. So now, those individuals that work hard to prevent infection are in fact doing society a disservice by perpetuating this mess. As one doctor noted, “if you are compromised, then the best you can do is to be vaccinated and then encounter Omicron while your immune system is at its maximum.”.
Don't worry Dr V, the shots don't do anything anymore so all the kids will still get covid. If your theory is right and the WH thinks vaccinating kids is a winning electoral strategy then my already dismal view of this administration - and the cdc - will drop to truly banana Republic levels.
I thought If we kept the FDA busy approving unproven and unnecessary Pfizer products, they wouldn’t have time to close down baby formula factories. Boy was I wrong.
Vinay, I can think of virtually nothing that they have not screwed up recently. It is why the US is designed as a federation of States, not as a monolithic re-election machine. The harm done to the citizenry by this administration (both legislative and administrative) will take decades to show and large parts will be permanent.
You are completely correct in your thinking, but far, far too kind.
yes... not only do they have conflicts of interest... they completely lack credentials
Wish Dr. Prasad was head of US public policy!
It is soul-crushing to think that politicians would use children as pawns to improve their election odds... using political opportunism as the basis for giving children potentially harmful (or at best useless) medication, so the children's health status might further their political ambitions. Wow. And yet I wouldn't put this past any of our current crop of "leaders" and public health appointees.
Don't know if the Biden admin was pushed for younger kids to be vaccinated. But it seems clear that many more Democrats were consumed by Covid fear than were Republicans. Perhaps that required the admin to pressure the FDA. For a while as the FDA was pushing makers for trials, the makers seemed cautious but now are on-board given they face no liability.
These mRNA vaccines seem ill advised for any under 60 and questionable for those older. We are seeing their ineffectiveness now and have no idea about the long term for anybody. We have placed great faith in the vaccines but those under 60 face a mild risk if healthy and now have various therapeutics that are well known should someone become infected. And mouth/nasal sanitation seems a solid preventative as needed after exposure before viral replication starts.
I’m curious if you are concerned at all about the recent studies showing negative vaccine efficacy in kids:
This one shows 5-11 year olds were 44% more likely to get infected within six weeks of vaccination: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.25.22271454v1
This is kids 12-17: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2792524
Walgreens data also seems to show higher positivity in vaccinated adults FWIW. Since someone as pro-vaccine as Paul Offit raised the possibility of OAS as a “theoretical risk,” it worries me that we’re boosting kids based on a strain of Covid that no longer exists.
No question these issues should not be political, and yet, they are entirely political! It’s shocking how invisible the science and scientists in particular have become. So, what a surprise, politicians are entirely unchallenged and so for them, its a political windfall to simply measure the virtuous direction of the public in order to win votes. Easiest environment in decades for them. Who needs advisors?
As far as children and vaccines, I can’t find any argument for vaccinating children at all. My grandchildren ages 3 to 10 have all had Omicron and the duration was 4 hours to 48 hours long. Symptoms were so mild as to barely be noticeable even though multiple tests were strongly positive. Any cold would have been way worse and lasted much longer. Over the past year, other kids in their classrooms would test positive also, so a few sporadic days off would occur, otherwise, just a big nothingburger.
Definitely a different story for old and compromised people whom in my view are better off vaccinated, but why we insist on ignoring the reality that virulence falls dramatically with age is simply moronic. Seems governments are only good at communicating fear. Omicron really is the best thing to happen in this pandemic, but politicians are quite incapable of saying any of these words. I guess we know why, but it shouldn’t be this way.
Many European countries (around 20 now I think) have followed Denmark’s lead and have ended all pandemic measures completely, at least partly because Omicron infection is critical for immunity. Many have also ended their vaccination programs because the vast majority of their public already have natural immunity. So now, those individuals that work hard to prevent infection are in fact doing society a disservice by perpetuating this mess. As one doctor noted, “if you are compromised, then the best you can do is to be vaccinated and then encounter Omicron while your immune system is at its maximum.”.
Don't worry Dr V, the shots don't do anything anymore so all the kids will still get covid. If your theory is right and the WH thinks vaccinating kids is a winning electoral strategy then my already dismal view of this administration - and the cdc - will drop to truly banana Republic levels.
I thought If we kept the FDA busy approving unproven and unnecessary Pfizer products, they wouldn’t have time to close down baby formula factories. Boy was I wrong.
It’s terrifying what they are doing.