Most notably, the experts sought to warn parents about what Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called “the wave of misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines that is coming their way.’’
Murthy said the government is trying to counter these bogus claims with outreach efforts involving trusted sources such as doctors, teachers and faith leaders, as well as organizations well known to parents, including the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“Many parents are already seeing inaccurate claims on social media, text threads and in their in-boxes,’’ Murthy said. “Misinformation robs them of (the ability to make informed choices). That’s why I’m asking parents to please seek answers from credible sources, like their doctor, their local hospital, their local health department or the CDC.’’
Fellow team members Drs. Rochelle Walensky and Anthony Fauci underscored that, while older adults are more vulnerable to COVID-19, the virus has infected nearly 2 million children ages 5-11, sending 8,300 of them to a hospital. One-third of those kids required treatment in an ICU.
Now there’s a tool to prevent many of those illnesses.
“Pediatric vaccination has the power to help us achieve healthy, safe and inclusive environments for our children,’’ Walensky said.
-- Jorge L. Ortiz
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