A New York Times article came under fire for stating that an unvaccinated five-year-old is at less risk for Covid than a vaccinated 70-year-old.
The article was called “insensitive” and “misleading,” with critics saying it underestimated the risks that children are able to spread and catch the virus.
Now, with more data available than before, the author of the article has been proven right. Research shows an unvaccinated 5-year-old is at less risk for serious covid than a vaccinated 70-year-old.
For the elderly, as well as those with serious health conditions getting vaccinated does not reduce the risk of Covid death or hospitalization to near zero, despite what initial vaccine data may have suggested.
Children, however, are at extremely low risk for catching covid and being hospitalized by it.
“For children without a serious medical condition the danger of severe Covid is so low as to be difficult to quantify”
The New York Times
Despite data that shows how low-risk children are, California continues to push for vaccine mandates for school children. Vaccines have just been approved for emergency use in children aged 5-11.