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Are COVID-19 vaccines more dangerous to children than COVID-19 itself?

Thursday, April 28, 2022
By Lisa Freedland
NO

Child hospitalization and death rates from the COVID-19 vaccine are lower than those from COVID-19 itself, according to CDC data.

Of approximately eight million vaccine doses administered to children aged 5 to 11 from November to December 2021, 11 verified Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System reports were received, including two deaths of children with chronic health conditions. (The CDC found no causal connection between their vaccinations and deaths.)

Of the approximately 2.8 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 who received a COVID-19 booster between December 2021 and February 2022, there were 32 confirmed myocarditis cases and zero deaths.

In comparison, 8,092 children under 18 have been hospitalized and 1,185 have died from COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

During the Delta surge, unvaccinated children were 10 times more likely to be hospitalized than fully vaccinated children.

As of February 2022, "Approximately 75% of children and adolescents had serologic evidence of a previous [COVID-19] infection."

Currently, children younger than five years old cannot receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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