Kids and Vaccine Mandates At A Glance:
- LAUSD issues vaccine mandates for ages 12 and up for spring semester.
- Stronger vaccine adverse events for those with natural immunity.
- 13-year-old boy coaxed to get vaccine with pizza in LA.
- 3 students dead in Vietnam after Pfizer mass vaccination at schools.
Even before the Pfizer vaccine received EUA for children ages 5-11, the media, policy makers, and large school districts have been building the case for the need to vaccinate children. As recently as June, there were concerns raised by the CDC, FDA, and WHO with regard to the COVID vaccine for children. Numerous experts have weighed in and even petitioned the FDA to slow the approval process.
Reactions to Vaccines in People Who’ve Recovered from COVID
Since the rollout of the vaccines, there have been reports of myocarditis, blood clots, and Guillain-Barre Syndrome. These adverse events led to warning labels for each. Data from Europe shows a high incidence of neurological diseases that far exceed the blood clots and myocarditis that have warranted caution there. There is one indicator as to who may be more vulnerable to adverse events, however, the CDC isn’t issuing the warning. Rather, they are encouraging it.
A study published in April of 2021 clearly indicated a higher incidence of adverse events in those who have previously been infected with COVID, recovered, then went on to get the shot.
But those with pre-existing immunity experienced systemic side effects such as fatigue, headache, chills, fever, and muscle or joint pains with considerably higher frequency.1
In reaction to the study, a professor of immunology and infectious disease at the University of Edinburgh, Eleanor Riley stated:
“…people who have had a PCR confirmed covid-19 infection may only require one dose of the vaccine. Certainly, this would appear to provide them with protection that is at least as good as two doses of vaccine. However, incorporating this into a mass vaccination programme may be logistically complex and it may be safer, overall, to ensure that everyone gets two doses.”1
In the FDA VRBPAC meetings to discuss the EUA approval for children, Dr. James E.K.Hildreth reminded the voting committee that likely 42% of the children in the US have natural immunity. That amounts to 30 million children.2 Many children have mild or asymptomatic cases that may have been overlooked or gone unnoticed.
Threats to Education Over Healthcare Choices
In September, the Los Angeles Unified School District mandated that all students ages 12 and up be fully vaccinated for the spring 2022 semester. At the time of publication, an estimated 34,000 students have not been fully vaccinated or reported their status to the LAUSD. Due to the time spacing required between doses and the two-week post-vaccination window to be considered fully vaccinated, time has run out on those who have not started the series.3
Of the students who are required to be vaccinated, an estimated 85% are in compliance.
Students are considered in compliance if they get the vaccine, receive a medical exemption or obtain a rare deadline extension based on extenuating circumstances.4
This is up from the 80% reported on November 22. The LA Times reported:
The district has waged an intense public-awareness campaign and there is widespread availability of vaccines on campus.4
Currently, the only vaccine students under the age of 18 are eligible for is the Pfizer vaccine. Students ages 16 and up are eligible for the vaccine that received full approval. All others are only eligible for vaccines under EUA approval.5
Parental Consent Not Necessary
District Administration, a business-to-business publication reports that while most states require parental consent for vaccinations, there are instances where it isn’t.
Overall, we find that most states require parental consent at this point, though the landscape may be shifting slightly as more jurisdictions seek to encourage vaccination of young people. Specific findings are as follows:
- Most states (41) require parental consent for vaccination of minors below the age of 18, although one of these states (NE) requires consent below age 19. There are some exceptions to these requirements:
- Many allow for certain minors, such as those who are emancipated, homeless or living apart from their parent or guardian, or married, to self-consent.
- Cities in two states (San Francisco in CA and Philadelphia in PA), have moved to allow minors, ages 12 and older, to self-consent for COVID-19 vaccination.
- In one state (AZ), if a parent refuses to consent for COVID-19 vaccination, but if a child or a doctor requests it, a court order can be obtained to allow for vaccination.
- In 5 states, a minor’s ability to self-consent is based on a specific age as follows:
- Two states where a minor must be at least 16 (RI and SC)
- One state where a minor must be at least 15 (OR)
- One state where a minor must be at least 14 (AL)
- One state where a minor must be at least 11 (DC; in DC, each healthcare provider may institute additional requirements which could include requiring a parent or guardian to be present).
- The remaining 5 states apply the “mature minor doctrine”, meaning that there is no specific age cut-off but providers have discretion to decide if a minor possesses the maturity to consent for themselves (AR, ID, NC, TN, WA).
- This means that parental consent has already been required for 16-17 year-olds in most states (41) since the initial authorization of the Pfizer vaccine on December 11, 2020. Two additional states require consent for some subset of 12-15 year-olds, bringing the count to 43 states where most minors in this age group would need parental consent. Once the next group of children is eligible for vaccination, those below age 12, this number will grow to 45.7
There are several other cities and state level governments that have also worked to get new legislation passed for minors to be able to consent to medical procedures without parental consent.
Similar to laws in a handful of states allowing minors to self-consent for certain other services (e.g., HIV and STI testing and treatment), some cities and states are moving to allow self-consent for minors for the COVID-19 vaccination specifically, in an effort to increase vaccinations among young people.7
In Washington D.C.:
The legislation dictates that minors, age 11 or older, “may consent to receive a vaccine where the minor is capable of meeting the informed consent standard” and the vaccine is government-recommended.
Doctors will determine if their minor patients meet the standard for informed consent, defined as the ability “to comprehend the need for, the nature of, and any significant risks ordinarily inherent in the medical care.”8
San Diego schools have a similar mandate for students aged 16 and up. Both districts have lawsuits filed against the mandates. It is unclear as to how the schools will proceed with students and their families who don’t comply with the mandates.
The LAUSD had a 6% drop in enrollment when more than 27,000 students did not enroll at the beginning of the school year when vaccine mandates were announced.6
California School Vaccinates Boy Without Parental Consent
The mother of a student at the Barack Obama Global Prep Academy in South Los Angeles has reported that her son was vaccinated against her knowledge.
“It hurt to know he got a shot without my permission, without knowing and without signing any papers for him to get the shot,” Duarte said, adding that she is vaccinated and isn’t anti-vaccine.6
Maribel Duarte herself is vaccinated. She chose to exercise caution because her son has asthma and allergies.9
“The lady that gave him the shot and signed the paper told my son, ‘Please don’t say anything. I don’t want to get in trouble.'”9
The school district stated that it wasn’t able to comment on student matters, however if does follow a program designed to offer vaccinated students prizes. The 13-year-old boy said yes after being offered pizza.6
Wrong Vaccine at the Wrong Time
According to VAERS data released on November 26, 2021, there have been 8,852 instances where the COVID vaccines were given to either a person of the wrong age group, or there were other challenges with the administration of the product.
The 17-44 age group has been criticized as misleading because the age bracket spans different times of approval.
There have been numerous reports of people who’ve gone in for flu shots and received the COVID vaccine, including children. One report was of a mother and her three-year-old daughter, another a family of four where the children were reported as having heart-damage following the vaccine.
Vaccinating Children in Schools Goes Deadly Wrong in Vietnam
Last week, a northern province in Vietnam vaccinated students aged 15-17 using the Pfizer vaccine. The CDC reported that over 120 students were admitted to the hospital due to reactions. Seventeen students remain in the hospital under supervision.
Vu Van Chinh, director of the Ha Trung District General Hospital, said side-effects following vaccination was normal, but are more likely to happen in children than adults.10
Three children also died following the vaccination. The death was ruled as “overreaction to the vaccine.”10
It has been determined that the batch of Pfizer vaccine used would be suspended and put into storage, possibly to be used with another population. The vaccinations will continue using a different batch of the Pfizer vaccines.10
Four workers at a shoe factory also died following their vaccination. Those deaths were also ruled “overreaction.”10
Hold the Phone — Doc’s Thoughts:
I have a lot to say here. However, I’m absolutely fuming that these school districts are holding children’s education hostage over a vaccine. And that they are offering a simple payment of pizza for it! To a child! What 13-year-old boy has ever turned down pizza?
I also have to comment here. In what situation is it ever acceptable to tell a child not to tell their parent? That is not only harmful, unethical, and sickening, it’s downright dangerous and a wicked precedent to set. If another adult ever told one of my daughters that, they’d certainly be hearing about it.
Let’s take a minute to think about another error-in-the-waiting here. Did you see the BMJ comment that indicated the logistics of only having one vaccine for those with robust natural immunity would be too complicated so we should require both doses for all? Even with the knowledge that those with natural immunity will mount a higher rate of adverse reactions? So, they’re going for convenient over what is best for the people receiving the vaccine? What happens when this is children who get the vaccine in a setting where their parents aren’t present and then go home with reactions?
Let’s face it, all of us have missed something that has come home in one of our kids’ homework folders. My wife is on top of everything, she’s an incredible mom. If one of our kids came home ill, she’d begin to care for them without hesitation…including checking their backpacks for a notice she didn’t expect about a vaccine she didn’t authorize! How many of these kids will have reactions that goes unattended to because nobody is connecting the dots that it’s related to the vaccine?
Look at that chart above for a minute. How many reports of the vaccine given incorrectly are there? Too many. But let’s think for a second. In sixth grade, most students are 11 turning 12. Those ages require two different doses. I also have comments for the fact that an 80-pound, 12-year-old girl is cleared for the same dose as a 300-pound 40-year-old man, but let’s set that aside for a minute. The 11-year-old’s dose is 1/3 that of the 12-year-old. How many more doses do we think will be given in a setting where the one administering the vaccine isn’t someone who knows the child well enough. We’re not even discussing the issues of underlying conditions or the 42% of children who’ve recovered from the infection and will likely have a higher reaction. Or any of the children who’ve reacted poorly to the first dose and were not going to get a second dose?
Many of these kids have robust, natural immunity. Yet, due to a school’s desire to streamline, they’re going to treat these children with a dangerous, one-size-fits-all approach. Possibly without their parents’ knowledge! These children will be subjected to a treatment they don’t need for an infection that doesn’t put them at risk. For convenience. I’m sure the parents in Vietnam who lost children, or who’s children ended up in the hospital after their vaccination weren’t concerned with convenience.
Who is watching out for the kids? Who’s going to put the pieces together? Who will see the reactions and make sure the children get help? Who is deciding that this is legal or ethical?
I’m not willing to follow the dictates of people in school board rooms making healthcare decisions for my family when they are elected to make the education policy for their schools. In fact, I’d also recommend you look into the policy of your child’s school. What are they considering informed consent and who can give it? Be knowledgeable and make your family’s healthcare and education choices from a position of knowledge, not assumptions and guesses.
If you are concerned about your immune response, or your child’s, The Wellness Way has state-of-the-art testing solutions to know before making a decision that may lead to a serious, adverse event. I’ve tested my immune response and that of my family so that I can make an informed decision.
1BMJ: Covid-19: People who have had infection might only need one dose of mRNA vaccine
2CNBC: FDA meeting on Pfizer’s Covid vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11 — 10/26/2021
5CDC: COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens
6Fox: California school offers boy pizza to get vaccinated, tells him not to ‘say anything,’ mom says
7District Administration: COVID-19 vaccination and parental consent: State-by-state look at rules
9NBC Los Angeles: Mom Says Son Vaccinated in Exchange for Pizza at LAUSD Without Her Consent
10VN Express: 120 children hospitalized, province suspends Pfizer vaccine batch
