Children can get vaccinated now. Let's talk about it
Happy almost Friday! Today we have several columns on COVID, two on children getting vaccinated and one about the vaccine mandate in workplaces.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe for kids, but prioritize high-risk children
By Dr. Marc Siegel
No matter how you look at it, COVID-19 is far more dangerous to the individual child as well as to the society as a whole than the vaccine is. In fact, the vaccine appears to be quite safe for children, despite rare instances of myocarditis (heart inflammation), usually quite mild, predominantly in teenage boys.
I think the dosage needs to be lower and the interval between doses greater, not just for children ages 5-11 but for most under the age of 18.
Sooner or later, almost all children should take the vaccine not only for their own sake but also for the sake of those around them. Not because they are forced to by anyone, but in consultation with their pediatrician.
Today's Editorial Cartoon
Doctor: On vaccinating kids ages 5 to 11 for COVID-19, it's OK to wait
By Dr. Vinay Prasad
The Food and Drug Administration's momentous announcement last week that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be made authorized under emergency use for children ages 5-11 was followed Tuesday afternoon by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's decision to recommend the vaccine's use for children. For some parents, this is blissful news, and for others, the announcement may raise questions or concerns.
Of course, when it comes to children in America, we all want to do what is absolutely best for their health. We all want to minimize the harms and suffering of children, as well as harms to those who love them and care for them. We want to do what is best for kids in the short term, as well as what is best for them in the long term.
With that in mind, it is absolutely essential that we communicate about this vaccine in an informative and nuanced way and, for the moment, resist uninformative persuasion. This means we should use language that empowers parents to take part in a shared decision-making discussion to determine whether vaccination is right for their kid in this moment or, if not now, potentially some moment in the future.
OSHA rule requiring employer COVID vaccines will protect workers
By Marty Walsh and Jeff Zients
Our nation is at an inflection point in our fight against COVID-19. About 70% of American adults are fully vaccinated, and cases and hospitalizations are down over 50% since early September. This is real progress, but the virus remains a threat to unvaccinated individuals, particularly America’s workers.
Although COVID-19 is not exclusively an occupational disease, transmission can and often does occur in workplaces – affecting employees and their health, families and livelihoods. In fact, more than 4.6 million American workers missed work in early September because they or someone they loved had COVID-19.
In other words, COVID-19 continues to hold back our workforce and our economy – and it will continue to do so until more Americans are vaccinated.
Other columns to read today
- Patti LaBelle: I am proof that you can live well with Type 2 diabetes
- Minneapolis police reform measure wouldn't have fixed policing
- Zillow could make housing market even more unaffordable with iBuying
- Win or lose, police reform ballot measure signifies end to status quo
Columns on qualified immunity
We are doing a series examining the issue of qualified immunity. For more on the series read here.
- Colorado took a revolutionary step to reform policing. Here's how
- He was asleep in his car. Police woke him up and created a reason to kill him.
- My brother wanted to go to the bathroom. Police killed him instead.
- Qualified immunity: 8 myths about why police need it to protect the public
This column was compiled by Jaden Amos.