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COVID-19 vaccinations are being touted for children. Are they truly safe? How should parents respond to this new development?

Jesus directed some of His strongest words towards those who ‘trip up’ children. ‘It would be better,’ He said, ‘for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.’ (Matthew 18:6) We can almost feel His righteous anger.

Throughout the scriptures, God reveals Himself as a defender of the weak and vulnerable — the orphans, the widows, and the poor. ‘… their defender is mighty.’ (Proverbs 23:11)

I feel similar anger when I think of five-year-old kids in Australia being given an experimental vaccine for a disease that has had minimal impact on their age group.

A Tender Age

There were mixed reactions from parents to the news that the Therapeutic Good Administration (TGA) has approved the jab for Australian 5 to 11-year-olds. Comments in major newspapers conveyed a mixture of both relief and anger.

For some parents, the news brought long-awaited assurance that now, finally, their kids would also be protected. Other parents were incredulous, adamant that no COVID needle would ever pierce their child’s skin — no matter what. This response is pretty much what we have grown to expect from this mass ‘vaccination’ drive — division and contention.

 

What Does the Science Say?

That depends on whom you listen to. America’s face of the pandemic, Dr Anthony Fauci, says of parents:

‘What are they waiting for? The infection is here now… protect your children… There have been clinical trials that are very, very clear to show that the vaccine is highly effective and very safe.’

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in America says COVID-19 has become a leading cause of death in children 5 to 11-years-old during the pandemic. At least 1.9 million children have been infected, and 8,300 hospitalised (roughly one-third of them were treated in the ICU).

Ninety-four children have died of COVID-19. The most common serious impact on children is Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C). MIS-C is a toxic-shock-like condition; most fully recover from this.

In Australia, the figures are much less dramatic: Around 33,000 zero to 9-year-olds have so far tested positive for COVID-19, with a hospitalisation rate of around 2-3%. However, hospital admissions are generally ‘uncommon, often precautionary and brief’.

There has been one death recorded in this age group in Australia and only four confirmed COVID-related MIS-C cases. We must also keep in mind that the majority of Australia’s overall hospitalisations have been confined to specific regions in New South Wales and Victoria.

Deadly Side Effects

Now we will consider the potential side effects of the vaccine — myocarditis in particular. A newly released Israeli study showed myocarditis rates in young adults aged 16 to 29-years of around 11/100,000 jabs. Some countries have banned the Moderna COVID shot for males under age 30 due to such concerns. The TGA is currently assessing the Moderna vaccine for use on Australian children.

What is the risk of myocarditis (and pericarditis) to younger children? There was no myocarditis detected in the three-thousand-strong study of 5 to 11-year-olds reviewed by the TGA. However, with such a small sample size, you wouldn’t expect to detect it. Because myocarditis is so rare in children, scientists are assuming that there will be fewer myocarditic adverse events in this age group compared to young adults.

But what if they are wrong? What if the young adult incidence is reflected in the younger demographic? Assuming a 90% jab rate, with 2.3 million children eligible, we are looking at over two hundred Australian kids with myocarditis as a direct result of the jab. And myocarditis is only one of many potential side effects.

At least 10,000 Australians are filing claims for a range of serious COVID vaccine injuries out of the nearly 20 million vaccinated. Proportionally, if the numbers are reflected in the 5 to 11-year-old demographic, this equates to over 1000 children being seriously injured.

Anaphylaxis, a serious and potentially life-threatening reaction, is known to be 10 times higher in those who have Pfizer jabs as compared to the flu vaccine. The breadth of adverse reactions seen in Pfizer clinical trials has only recently been made public. Significant under-reporting of vaccine injuries is a well-known phenomenon given the use of passive (non-automatic) reporting systems.

A Cautious Stance

Former Australian Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Nick Coatsworth, who has been one of the country’s most passionate advocates of COVID-19 vaccination, has contrasting advice to Dr Fauci on the need to vaccinate children:

‘Whilst I encourage parents to vaccinate their 12–15-year-old children, the risk of myocarditis, especially in young boys, is sufficient that parents have every right to wait for more data or to decline vaccination.’

This is also the view of Peter Doshi, Senior Editor of the British Medical Journal along with 30 other experts who, in a collective statement, said,

“… the existing evidence base — both pre- and post-authorization — is simply not mature enough at this point to adequately judge whether clinical benefits outweigh the risks in all populations.”

Personally, I am much more comfortable with this precautionary approach. But are parents going to be given the option to wait for more data? Based on what we’ve seen over the past two years in regard to adult vaccinations, I can very confidently say NO! Mandates have already been imposed in Victoria for those under 16 years.

Interestingly, in the TGA’s statement on the provisional approval for 5 to 11-year-olds, they state:

‘[The TGA] will not hesitate to take action if safety concerns are identified.’

That sounds very reassuring. But some would suggest that given mRNA COVID vaccines have already shown significant safety concerns in adults, the idea of giving them to children is unthinkable.

Parental Responsibility

I appreciate science. I have worked for nearly 20 years in the biological field. I use science to inform my decisions. However, as a Christian and as a father, it is not the only input I seek. Having spent over half my science career in quality control, I know how data can be manipulated, mistakes made, and tracks covered. So, I listen to my ‘gut’ and seek God’s wisdom and leading in my decision-making — especially when it comes to my own children.

But my concerns reach beyond my own children. And I am not alone. Parents With Questions is a new Australian group of mums and dads who are ‘seeking unbiased answers to important questions’. They have started posting videos from concerned parents — those concerned for all Australian children regarding the safety of COVID vaccinations.

So where am I heading with all this?

Based on the rhetoric already seen in some media commentary, such as ‘Primary school children are expected to have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine before heading back to the classroom for Term One next year,’ we are likely to see a strong push to have every child jabbed.

Dan Andrews has already flagged the idea of vaccinating children at the school level and, given his recent legislative reforms, parental consent may not be considered necessary.

When you consider the existing childcare precedent, which has been in place for several years, barring entry for pre-schoolers who aren’t up to date with their childhood vaccination schedules, it is a small step to mandate COVID shots for all children who attend school.

In short, if you’re not planning to vaccinate your children, be prepared for the potential of needing to home educate them next year. If your kids are at a private school, I’d suggest holding off paying your school fees in advance for 2022.

For those who feel it’s important to vaccinate your children but are not happy with mRNA vaccines, a more conventional protein-based vaccine from Novavax is likely to be approved in Australia — potentially before Christmas. Currently, there has been no word on whether approval will be sought for its use in children.

Lastly, don’t be at all surprised if baby jabs aren’t just around the corner. Dr Fauci predicts Americans 6 months to 5 years are likely to be given the green light as early as March 2022.

How to React

It is very easy to feel overwhelmed by all this sudden imposition. Everything in our world seems to have been turned on its head — and so quickly. What should our response be? Here are three suggestions I made continually in my advocacy days:

1. Pray fervently — ‘the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective’ (James 5:16)
   ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood…’ (Ephesians 6:12)
2. Stay informed — join lobby groups like Parents With Questions and get quality scientific data from legitimate sources.
3. Say your piece — write to the PM, Education Minister (State and Federal), local member/Senator and Premier about your concerns. They are there to represent you and to serve you. Share good quality research and quotes from experts on social media. Speak up against the prevailing narrative.

All of these will take courage and tenacity. But what greater cause is there than fighting for the safety and the future of our children? And, most reassuringly, we are not alone.

‘… their defender is mighty.’
~ Proverbs 23:11

[Photo by CDC on Unsplash]