State Guidance Against Vaccine For Healthy Kids Could Affect Communities Of Color Most
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – New guidance from the Florida Department of Health recommends the majority of healthy children stay unvaccinated. That news has come as a shock to many physicians, and those with the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
"So, I've actually spent the last two years trying to improve access and equity when it comes to the vaccines in communities of color where I work. That announcement I felt just put us back 10 steps," Dr. Tina Carrol-Scott said.
Carrol-Scott runs the South Miami Children's Clinic, where she has helped to put on pop-up events to get people vaccinated.
"Especially with those of us who have really tried to educate our communities and to get rid of the fear and mistrust that a lot of Black Americans specifically have when it comes to vaccine and the virus," she said.
The guidance from the state states, healthy kids ages 5 to 17 may not benefit from the vaccine, and warns some 16 to 17-year-olds about the risk of myocarditis due to the COVID-19 vaccines may outweigh the benefits. Dr. Carrol-Scott has trouble with that.
"You know it's 40 cases per 1 million dose of the COVID vaccine given and so that puts everything into perspective because it is still an incredibly rare occurrence," she explained.
Florida's recommendation goes against the CDC.
"I think if you look at the overwhelming evidence around this vaccine, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended because it has reduced the risk of hospitalization or death from COVID," Dr. Tom Inglesby, White House COVID-19 Response Team Senior Advisor, said.
So, why should a healthy 5-year-old get the vaccine?
"I think parents should think about this vaccine like they think about other vaccines that prevent childhood illnesses we vaccinate our kids against mumps and rubella, and chicken pox and influenza."
The proof, he said, was in the data collected by the CDC. And still, some argue their young kids have already contracted COVID and it wasn't so bad.
"It's very difficult to know from person to person how strong that immunity is," he responded.
This is why the age-appropriate vaccine is still recommended. There's still a chance the virus could mutate. Carrol-Scott thinks COVID-19 is unpredictable.
"Until we see valid data that supports this recommendation and so far we have not seen that."