Rand Paul: ‘I wouldn’t vaccinate my kids’

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in a Thursday interview on The Hill’s Rising stated he wouldn’t vaccinate his personal kids for COVID-19 out of issues concerning the threat of coronary heart irritation.

Paul, a vocal critic of pandemic insurance policies who steadily battled with former White Home adviser Anthony Fauci through the Trump and Biden administrations, stated the danger of myocarditis — coronary heart irritation — is larger than the producers of vaccines have stated. He additionally argued the vaccine carries an pointless threat for younger individuals.

“I, frankly, wouldn’t vaccinate my kids for COVID,” he stated. “I believe the dangers of the vaccine are better than the dangers of the illness. The dangers of the illness are nearly non-existent.”

Research have estimated that myocarditis happens in about 1 in 15,000 males ages 16-19 who obtain three COVID vaccines, in keeping with the American Coronary heart Affiliation.

COVID vaccine-related myocarditis is nearly all the time gentle and sufferers get better in a matter of days, the AHA stated. 

The Facilities of Illness Management and Prevention and most well being authorities have really useful that individuals take COVID-19 vaccines.

Paul’s remarks to Rising observe a listening to on Wednesday the place he accused Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel of mendacity to the general public concerning the threat of myocarditis to younger males.

“I additionally spoke along with your president simply final week and he readily acknowledged in personal that sure, there may be an elevated threat of myocarditis,” he stated. “The truth that you may’t say it in public is kind of disturbing.”

Bancel stated the danger of myocarditis from the vaccine is decrease than from a COVID an infection.

Within the interview with Rising, Paul proposed that younger individuals solely take one COVID vaccine dose as a substitute of a number of, citing a examine that discovered that the elevated myocarditis threat in younger individuals is usually after the second dose of vaccine.

“If you wish to give them a vaccine and so they’ve already had COVID, why not one as a substitute of three? I believe it truly is malpractice,” he stated. “There may be room to debate … however I don’t suppose there’s any proof to present three vaccines.”

Paul has been persistently skeptical about COVID vaccines, particularly for kids and younger individuals.

He has stated that he personally won’t take a COVID vaccine, has advocated for eradicating vaccine mandates for navy service members, and stated that vaccines for kids are usually not vital.

He’s additionally one of many lead voices calling for extra investigation into the origins of COVID-19, an advocate for the “lab leak” concept, and stated that senior well being officers are concerned in a “coverup” concerning the virus’ origins.