CDC takes to Facebook to call for COVID boosters for kids and gets telling response

about 1 year ago

Last October, the CDC has decided to post the following on Facebook:

CDC recommends that everyone ages 5 years and older get an updated bivalent COVID-19 booster if it has been at least 2 months since your last booster or final primary. The updated booster provides broader protection against newer BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants.

The post also contained a link to the corresponding CDC flyer on their site. Both publications are linked below, as usual.

Reactions to this advisory were varied. Some were positive.

Yes!!!
Michelle Harris

Wonderful info.
David Forsberg

Parents should consider giving their kids a COVID-19 vaccine.
Paul T. Backes

Some were neutral.

Just had Omicron - a few months after my second booster
Not sure I need this booster
Lynn Anne Cornelius

I might be getting that tomorrow. It has been about a year since my last vaccine. I might even do a 1 hour on the stationary bike after vaccine if no obvious side affects occurred. Lots of odd anti vaccine reactions so I'm sure I might get 1 from random Facebook users I don't know. Hopefully others will continue to get the vaccine series and booster/boosters when eligible.
Sam Hack

It's official now? 5-12 year olds can get the updated booster?
Brittney Has

Some were critical.

I do not believe that your vaccine should be required of anyone. Let Americans choose if they want it for themselves and their families.
Barbara Morris

I'm vaccinated. But Covid vaccine mandates for children is insanity.
Christopher Small

Yesterday my 12yr old was at his appointment to receive the 1st covid vaccine for the primary 2 series. The 1st one. But they accidently gave him the bivalent booster. He's having trouble breathing this afternoon... we don't know if the booster caused this .... but not a happy parent.
Patricia Braden Jones

What does this vaccine really do? It doesn’t prevent you from getting Covid. It doesn’t stop those getting vaccine from spreading it to someone else. And my husband was vaccinated & boosted and got Covid-19’s and was sick from it.
Kathy Paterson

This is sick and disgusting! I bet no one at the CDC has been vaccinated with this garbage!!
Michael McElyea

Some outright hostile.

You are the worst thing that has happened to America .. how dare you force this unscientific shot on our children .. shame on you ... we need your agency to shut down ... I hope guilt keeps you awake all of your nights ... horrendous
Cam Conley

You better note vote this mandatory to go on the children's vaccine list for schools!!
Heather Minton

First get the protection from lawsuits, then require it. CRIMINAL!
Harlow Christine

All in all, there were over a thousand comments. I don't wish to spend the time to read them all, so the best I could do was try and provide a representative selection of all categories.

The impression I got was that the positive ones were few - which is not that surprising as people tend to be more willing to express a negative emotion than a positive one. But what seems to also be the pattern is that more positive ones indicate little but approval by default whereas the critics seem tend to bring some argument along, be that a persona anecdote, a reference to possible negative side effects from the vaccine which is a subject mainstream media rarely reports on, or both. The critics seem to be more inquisitive than those sounding off in approval.

It is nice to see this societal transformation and drift from apathy and trust in a corrupt government institution to a more critical and inquisitive perception. Perhaps, some credit for that goes to yours truly. Regardless of that, as always, use your own brain, seek your own knowledge, do your own research.