"CDC: Worrisome Spike in Younger Teens' COVID Hospitalizations. Data through April
add urgency to calls for adolescent vaccination"
A perfect example of why you simply MUST read the article and not just the headline. If you were to see this sensationalized headline you may begin to believe that scientists have been wrong about how rarely kids get sick from COVID-19, and start to fear for your child's health and safety.
But, if you ACTUALLY READ the article you would discover that the rate of hospitalization peaked at a max of 2.6/100,000 with the low being a rate of 0.6/100,000. Obviously a "spike", but reading further you find that there was not even one death and that 1/3 required ICU and 5% mechanical ventilation. So, despite its panic inducing wording, the article really says that if you have a teenager who gets COVID, their chance of getting sick enough to require ICU is 1 in 117,647 and getting ventilated is 1 in 769,230, and essentially ZERO chance of death. Furthermore, 70% of those admitted had a significant underlying medical condition.
SO, let's do some more math, it will make you sleep easier, and believe fewer headlines. If you are a healthy teenager and you get COVID, your risk of hospitalization is 1 in 125,000, your risk of requiring the intensive care unit is 1 in 400,000, and your risk of being placed on a ventilator is 1 in 2.5 million. Despite the fact that these numbers indicate an incredibly low risk, the CDC director says this constitutes a " growing body of evidence that demonstrates the severe health impacts of COVID-19 on adolescents," and that these new numbers are "deeply" concerning, and she reinforced the call for vaccination, as well as continued masking and other basic precautions for those not yet vaccinated." Is it any wonder that our faith in the media and the CDC is completely shattered.
Unfortunately, I could list hundreds, even thousands, of articles just like this one--massive sensationalizing and catastrophizing. It should come as no surprise that those who just read headlines, or the scrolling tape at the bottom of their 24 hour news feeds, are living in mortal fear of their kids succumbing to this virus. I implore you to read, with an open mind and critical eye. Don't let the media manipulate your feelings and emotions via sound bite or headlines.
View the referenced article here: https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/92925
~Dr. Lawrence Hutchison, MD
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