Rebukes the FDA

To reduce unknown risks from tiny to minuscule, the FDA seems willing to accept a rather large number of statistical deaths.

Even if the FDA is willing to countenance a "provisional" status, millions of kids would get the vaccine because their parents are sensible and not driven by ideological fealty to Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Speaking as someone with grandkids, I sure hope the FDA can find a way to (safely) hurry the process along.

quote:

Coronavirus cases among children are rising at a time when the highly infectious delta variant is advancing across the United States at a rapid clip.

New state-level data analyzed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association shows that children accounted for roughly 15% of all newly reported COVID-19 cases across the nation for the week ending on Aug. 5.

Nearly 94,000 child cases of COVID-19 were recorded during that period, a 31% increase over the roughly 72,000 cases reported a week earlier. In the week before then, there were 39,000 new child cases.

quote:

One big question for parents — whether delta is making kids sicker than previous strains — still has no clear answer.

But the numbers appear to show that severe illness, hospitalization and death are rare in children infected with the coronavirus.

In states where data was available, less than 2% of all child COVID-19 cases required hospitalization and 0.00% to 0.03% were fatal.

https://www.npr.org/sections/c...f-all-new-infections

The counterpoint is that the largest children's hospital in Louisiana is running out of beds.

I posted the national statistics about outcomes hoping to give some comfort to those who are worried about their kiddos and grandkiddos.

I view what's happening in Louisiana as another data point more than a counterpoint. I think we need to be simultaneously looking at national and local conditions in order to understand what's going on and to make the best decisions as to how to cope moving forward.

Sadly the decision that so many adults have made in some areas not to get vaccinated is one that is having an adverse impact on the kids. And adults, of course. Not to mention the caregivers and the health care system overall. The local statistics tell that story. In addition to the Louisiana situation as far as kids are concerned, I read yesterday that Arkansas has only 8 ICU beds available in the entire state.

A lot of people are suffering unnecessarily. It's sad and very very frustrating.