Editor, Gazette-Journal:
An article in the May 27 paper titled “Parents should feel confident about vaccinating children” says the FDA has approved the vaccine for “emergency use” in children aged 12-15.
“Emergency use” allows the FDA to circumvent the usual testing for safety. Vaccine clinical trials typically last 5-10 years and sometimes longer. Because of this anyone taking the vaccine is part of the ongoing clinical trial.
Research shows that children in this age group are at little to no risk for adverse reaction to the Covid virus, according to the CDC.
CDC data shows that Americans, regardless of age group, are far more likely to die of something other than Covid, including those in the most impacted age group, 85 and older. Only 13.3% of all deaths since February 2020 were due to Covid. Only 0.2% were younger than 25.
CDC survivability numbers by age group: 20 years and younger, 99.997%; 20-49, 99.8%; 50-69, 99.5%.
Former Pfizer Vice President and Chief Science Officer Mike Yeadon stated, “protection is needed only by those at notably elevated risk of death from the virus. In those people, there might be an argument the risks are worth bearing.”
Yeadon expressed concern that the Covid vaccine causes our cells to produce the virus themselves, which is a feature of mRNA vaccines, rather than directly introducing the virus protein into the body as in a traditional vaccine.
According to Bhakdi, a world renowned microbiologist, “There are serious risks associated with the vaccine. The vaccine increases the risk of blood clotting in vaccinated patients by binding to the cells that line blood vessels inducing them to produce the virus protein. Many copies of the virus spike will appear on the cell surface. These may directly bind and activate blood platelets which will trigger blood clotting. If the clots form at vulnerable sites in the brain, spinal cord and heart, interruption of blood flow may have irreversible and even fatal effects.” Cells producing spike protein may be attacked by our own immune system because the immune system is trained to recognize and destroy cells that produce the virus,” he said.
A statement from the CDC last week said they are investigating cases of heart-related symptoms observed mainly in young people and adolescents who received the Covid vaccine.
According to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, there have been a “relatively few” cases of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscles. These cases have been observed in mostly younger people and occur more often in males. Symptoms usually develop four days after an individual has been vaccinated and more often occurs after the second dose.
The CDC wrote in its report, “Further information should be collected through medical record review about potential myocarditis cases reported into VAERS. Information about this potential adverse event should be provided to clinicians to enhance early recognition and appropriate management of persons who develop myocarditis symptoms following vaccination.
Understanding the low risk from Covid to young people and the risks of an incompletely studied experimental vaccine where the long-term changes using a genetic component are unknown, I find it incredibly disturbing to promote vaccination, especially in young people.
Previously infected people are likely to carry protective antibodies to Covid for years.
Missy Giardina
Physician Assistant, Certified, Retired
Gloucester, Va.