This might be a bit of a trip so get in a comfy chair, pour yourself a nice glass of tea (hot or iced, sweetened or not, your choice) and settle in for a bit.
A few days ago, on her Facebook page, Wendy posted this:
That link on the bottom leads here - to the Children's Health Defense, a notorious anti-vaxx source for notoriously dangerous anti-vaxx material.
Here's how it begins:
Schools and universities are considering mandates now. Today, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) said that there is ‘likely’ a link between heart inflammation and Pfizer, Moderna COVID vaccines. During the meeting, the committee members acknowledged 1,200 cases of heart inflammation in 16- to 24-year-olds, and said mRNA COVID vaccines should carry a warning statement. Overall, the officials emphasized that the benefits of COVID vaccines outweigh the risks. Physicians and other public commenters strongly disagreed accusing the CDC of exaggerating the risk to young people of COVID, and minimizing the risk of the COVID vaccines.
Compare and contrast this with some actual reporting from a real news source, the Washington Post:
Federal health officials said Wednesday there is a “likely association” between two coronavirus vaccines and increased risk of a rare heart condition in adolescents and young adults, the strongest assertion so far on the link between the two.
Data presented to advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adds to recent findings, most notably from Israel, of rare cases of myocarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle — predominantly in males ages 12 to 39, who experience symptoms after the second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Most cases have been mild and have taken place several days to a week after the second shot, officials said. Chest pain is the most common symptom. Patients generally recover from symptoms and do well.
There have been 1,226 reports of myocarditis out of about 300 million mRNA doses administered in the United States, as of June 11, according to Tom Shimabukuro, a CDC vaccine safety official. Of those, 267 were reported after the first dose and 827 after the second, and 132 reports did not indicate which dose.
Adding:
With virus variants increasing, and adolescents and young adults making up a greater percentage of covid-19 cases, unvaccinated teens and young adults are far more likely to contract the disease. Getting covid-19 puts someone at far greater risk of heart inflammation and other serious medical problems than the risk of getting myocarditis from vaccination, they said.
Ah, something the anti-vaxxers (like Wendy) chose not to tell you.
So here's the "choice" that they're is presenting you. You can take the vaccine and run a very small risk of myocarditis (where "Patients generally recover from symptoms and do well.") or avoid the vaccine and run a greater risk of Covid-19 (with all of its far more serious health complications). Reminder: 600,000 Americans have already died of this - countless more suffered (and are still suffering from it).
Here's the statement from the CDC regarding the meeting:
As physicians, nurses, public health and health care professionals, and, for many of us, parents, we understand the significant interest many Americans have in the safety of the COVID-19 vaccines, especially for younger people. Today, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met to discuss the latest data on reports of mild cases of inflammation of the heart muscle and surrounding tissue called myocarditis and pericarditis following COVID-19 vaccination among younger people.
The facts are clear: this is an extremely rare side effect, and only an exceedingly small number of people will experience it after vaccination. Importantly, for the young people who do, most cases are mild, and individuals recover often on their own or with minimal treatment. In addition, we know that myocarditis and pericarditis are much more common if you get COVID-19, and the risks to the heart from COVID-19 infection can be more severe.
The vaccines are safe and effective, and they prevent COVID-19 illness. They will help protect you and your family and keep your community safe. We strongly encourage everyone age 12 and older who are eligible to receive the vaccine under Emergency Use Authorization to get vaccinated, as the benefits of vaccination far outweigh any harm. Especially with the troubling Delta variant increasingly circulating, and more readily impacting younger people, the risks of being unvaccinated are far greater than any rare side effects from the vaccines. If you get COVID-19, you could get severely ill and be hospitalized or even die. Even if your infection is mild, you or your child could face long-term symptoms following COVID-19 infection such as neurological problems or diminished lung function.
By the way, the statement was co-signed by:
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- American Academy of Family
Physicians (AAFP)
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
- American College of Physicians (ACP)
- American Heart Association, American Hospital
Association (AHA)
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- American Nurses Association (ANA)
- American Public Health Association (APHA)
- Association of Public Health Laboratories
- Association of State and
Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
- Big Cities Health Coalition
- Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
- Infectious Diseases Society of America
- National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Wendy, I do have a question for you: Don't you know any cardiologists who can explain this to you?
