Mass. doctor disagrees with Florida’s new COVID vaccine guidance for kids
Updated: 6:26 PM EST Mar 10, 2022
IN FLORIDA NO LONGER RECOMMEND COVID-19 VACCINES FOR ALHETHY CHILDREN. HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IS DR. KRISTIN MOFFITT, AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPIT.AL BEN: THIS NEW GUIDANCE IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU’VE BNEE SAYING, AND THE CDC RECOMMENDS. YOUR REACTN?IO >> I DO NOT THINK THIS GUIDANCE IS BASED ON THE BEST AVAILABLE DATA THAT DESCBERI THE SAFETY OF THESE VACCINES IN CHILDREN. I THINK THIS IS GOING TO CAUSE A LOT OF CONFUSION FOR PARTSEN AND I THINK IT IS GOING TO BE VERY FRUSTRINATG FOR PHYSICIANS IN THAT STATE WHO ARE TRYING THEIR BEST TO PROVIDE THE MOST INFORMATION THEY CAN TO FAMILIES WHO ARE TRYING TO MAKE THE MOST INFORMED DECISIONS THEY CAN ABOUT THESE VACCINES. THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH THE BEST AVAILABLE DATA. ERIKA: SO LET’S BE CLEAR HERE, PFIZER IS THE ONLY VACCINE CURRENTLY AUTHORIZED FOR KIDS 17 AND UNDER. FLORIDA OFFICIALS SAY THEIR REVIEW OF THE SAFETY DATA SHOWS, AT LEAST FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN, THAT THE RISK OF VACCINATION OUTWEIGHS THE BENEFITS. WHY DO YOU DISAGE?RE >> THE STATEMENT THAT CAME OUT OF THE FLORIDA SURGEON GENERAL’S OFFI,CE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY CITES A SMALL STUDY THAT HAS NOT BEEN PEER OUT OF NEW YORK.pIT DID IND VACCINES WEEROT N EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING INFECTION, PARTICULLYAR IN FIVE TO 11-YEAR-OLDS. A MUCH LARGER STUDY THAT HAS BEEN VETTED AND PUBLISHED AND LOOKED AT PEDIATRIC COVID-19 INFECTIONS ACROSS A NUMBER OF STATES ACTUALLY SHOWED THEES VACCINES HAVE EXCELLENT EFFECTIVENESS AT PREVENTING HOSPITALIZATIONS IN PARTICULAR .WE KNOW THAT THOUSANDS OFULAR CHILDREN HAVE REQUIRED HOSPITALIZATION FOR COVID-19 WE KNOW THAT A MISHAP OF THOSE CHILDREN HAVE HAD NO UNDERLYING HEALTH CONDITIONS THAT WOULD HAVE MADE THEM MORE SCEUCSS THE BOW — SUSCEPTIBLE. WE REALLY NEED TO PUT THIS IT CAN THE CONTEXT OF IF WE HAD VACCINES THAT SHOWED SIMILAR EFFECTIVENESS AT KEEPING CHILDREN OUT OF THE HOSPITAL IT WOULD BE A GAME CHANGER FOR KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE AND HEALTHY. BEN: WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE VACCINATION RATE RIGHT NOW FOR KIDS IN MASSACHUSETTS? HAVE WE REACHED A PLATEAU? >> YES, IT HAS SLOWED QUITE A BIT. IT IS ABOUT 55% OF FIVE TO 11-YEAR-OLDS IN MASSACHUSETTS. WE ARE ONLY ADDGIN ABOUT 1% POINT EACH WKEE TO EACH OF THOSE NUMBERS. IT WOULD BE GREAT TO SEE THOSE NUMBERS INCREASING FASTER, ESPECIALLYS A OTHER MITIGATION MEASURES ARE LOOSENING. ERIKA: IT’S BEEN NEARLY TWO WEEKS SINCE MANY PUBLIC SCOLHO STUDENTS RETURNED FROM WINTER BREAK. ANY SIGNET Y OF A SURGE, ESPECIALLY WITH MOST KIDS BACK IN CLASS WITHOUT MASKS? >> YES, IT IS A GRTEA QUESTION. SO FAR, THE DATA DO NOT SUGGEST A SURGE. CASES ON A DAILY BISAS WERE AROUND 1500 PER DAY AT THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY BREAK. MOST RECENTLY, THEY WERE AROUND 600 A DAINY MASSACHUSETTS. I THINK THAT IS REASSURING. I ALSO THINK IT IS REASSURING THE WEATHER IS GETTING WARMER. PEEKING HAVE WINDOWS OPEN MORE AND KIDS SPENDING MORE TIME OUTSIDE. BEN: THAT IS CERTAINLY GREAT NE
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Mass. doctor disagrees with Florida’s new COVID vaccine guidance for kids
Updated: 6:26 PM EST Mar 10, 2022
“I think that this is going to cause a lot of confusion for parents and I think it’s going to be very frustrating for a lot of physicians in that state,” Dr. Kristin Moffitt, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital.
“I think that this is going to cause a lot of confusion for parents and I think it’s going to be very frustrating for a lot of physicians in that state,” Dr. Kristin Moffitt, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital.
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