An April 22 article reporting that HHS may remove COVID-19 vaccines from the recommended childhood immunization drew both criticism and praise online. While an HHS spokesperson stated, “No final decision has been made,” supporters celebrated the news online, claiming that pediatric COVID-19 vaccines are “worthless” and their removal from the schedule is “long overdue.” Many posts in English and Spanish falsely claim that COVID-19 vaccines damage children’s immune systems, make them more vulnerable to cancer, and increase mortality. Critics’ posts express concern that the removal may make COVID-19 vaccines less accessible and argue that people are downplaying the potential severity and long-term effects of COVID-19.
Recommendation
Changes to the recommended immunization schedule may influence health care provider recommendations for patients, insurance coverage of pediatric vaccines, and vaccine access. Talking points may highlight the well-established safety of pediatric COVID-19 vaccines and explain the benefits of vaccination for children and teens. Messaging may also emphasize that, although young people are at lower risk from COVID-19, they can become seriously ill and develop long-term complications like long COVID. Vaccination reduces these risks. For example, unvaccinated children are 20 times more likely than vaccinated children to develop long COVID.
