CDC's All-or-Nothing Approach to Teen COVID Vaccination Is All Wrong

MedPage ^ | June 29, 2021 | by Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH, Ramin Farzaneh-Far, MD, Wes Pegden, PhD, Venk Murthy, MD, PhD, Amy Beck, M

[CondoleezzaProtege]

This insistence on an all-or-nothing, one-size-fits-all binary approach -- treating healthy kids who have recovered from confirmed prior infection as equivalent to infection-naive kids with comorbidities -- is at the heart of the fallacy underpinning ACIP's decision.

While we acknowledge the CDC and ACIP had to act based on short-term studies and limited and variable data, vaccines must be used in a way that maximizes benefit and minimizes risk.

Last week, on June 23, ACIP met to discuss the findings. To date, CDC has documented myocarditis in at least 323 cases age 29 or under (of whom 96% were hospitalized), while 148 remain under review. The CDC acknowledged more cases in young people than older people, more cases in young males than young females, and higher incidence after dose two than dose one. The absolute risk of myocarditis after the second dose based on the number of CDC confirmed cases would be one in 15,000 to 20,000 for boys ages 12 to 24. There is a smaller but still excess risk in women age 24 and younger.

At its meeting, ACIP considered figures and data, which claimed to weigh the benefits versus harms of "dose two" of mRNA vaccines in this age group. However, in reality, the scenarios presented by the CDC compared the risks versus benefits to young people of no vaccination at all versus a scenario in which they received both shots.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

The CDC did not consider the harms versus benefits of one versus two doses, but only the harms versus benefits of vaccination itself. But the CDC went beyond this. They also used base rates of infection from the past, rather than current rates of SARS-CoV-2 spread, which are substantially lower. They did not differentiate between healthy kids -- who are at risk of idiosyncratic events, such as myocarditis -- and kids with pre-existing medical conditions that place them at high risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, including hospitalization.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Ping.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Mao encouraged youth to obey the state rather than their parents...

[Stingray51]

This is an intelligent, credible article that makes the CDC look ridiculous. Any doctor parroting the CDC should be ashamed and embarrassed.

In reaching its phony determination that despite myocarditis, the benefits of vaccination still outweigh the risks for teenagers, the CDC did not consider:

1. Immunity from prior infection (the fact that previously infected teens are atmuch less risk from reinfection)
2. Vulnerability to Covid due to co-morbidities (completely different balance of risks and benefits between healthy teens and sickly ones who might actually get hit hard by Covid)
3. 1 shot vs 2

They also used outdated statistics for the spread of Covid.

People who say “follow the science” meaning to accept as science whatever a bunch of politicized hacks say the science is are utter dummies.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Future TV Commercial:

“Have you or a loved one been hurt by the CovidBS-19 Vaccine? If so, our Lawyers are waiting to speak with you at 1-800-222-2222 to join our Class Action Lawsuit. BILLIONS have been set aside by Mother Government and Big Pharma to settle these claims. You may not even have to go to court!”

Unfortunately, you know I’m right. :)

[TFG]

Both my sons aged 14 and 18 had check ups in the last week. Doc tried to get them to take it. My older son was by himself and said hell no. He’s a healthy lineman going off to play ball in college.

I told doc for my other son no we aren’t doing that one.

I’m down as a no in their notes for that guardisil one too.

[Mom MD]

Again I have said I’m not in favor of vaccinating kids and young men u see 30 need to look at the risks and benefits closely. Yet you keep pinging me to these threads. Please stop trying to portray me as something I am not