The case for COVID-19 vaccines for healthy kids falls apart

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this headline:

Pfizer’s COVID shot far less effective in ages 5-11 than in older kids

It certainly makes one question why it was rushed out for kids, given everything else we knew at the time about the risks of COVID for this age group. Surely it would have been good for parents to have this information in advance of making decisions.

It also makes one wonder, not for the first time, why the US recommends it for all kids. Sweden, Norway, the U.K. and other countries that have decided against recommending it for healthy kids under 12 look all the wiser with this news.

Key quote from the article linked to above:

It still prevents severe illness in the children, but offers virtually no protection against infection, even within a month after full immunization…

But let’s recall that the NY Times wrote this in October:

For children without a serious medical condition, the danger of severe Covid is so low as to be difficult to quantify.

In other words, Matt Welch got it right when he wrote:

So the "benefits" of vaccinating kids is that kids will be vaccinated; otherwise nothing changes…https://t.co/9prs5LyhDC
— reason (@reason) October 21, 2021