Two of the nation's top doctors said they refuse to give their own kids a third COVID shot as vaccinated teenage boys have a low risk of hospitalization, but the likelihood of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, caused by the jab is 10 out of 100,000.
Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of California, and Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the FDA's vaccine advisory committee, told Bari Weiss in her most recent Substack that the benefits of a booster for teen males are outweighed by the possible side effects.
One of the most common serious side effects for a teen from a COVID booster jab was myocarditis, a rare heart inflammation case that occurs mostly in males, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which had recorded two such cases among a group of 20,000 while vaccinated teen boys only had a 0.3 out of 100,000 chances of being hospitalized over COVID.
The doctors claimed the CDC was premature in advising teens to get a booster shot, with Gandhi saying, 'I am not giving my 12 and 14-year-old boys boosters.'
Offit said he advised his 20-year-old son to avoid the third dose and said the booster would be worth the risk for 'the average healthy 17-year-old boy.'
The doctors' statements come as other health officials claimed the CDC had made its booster recommendation without proper data on the safety issues.
Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of California, and Dr. Paul Offit, a member of the FDA's vaccine advisory committee, said the benefits of a booster shot for teen boys was outweighed by its possible side effects
The CDC reported two cases of myocarditis due to booster shots in teen boys. Both men were released from the hospital and reported in good condition
Of the 265 cases reported in teens ages 12 to 15 last year, 251 were hospitalized and all but 10 were discharged and sent home. The remaining have reported improved or resolved symptoms, but were still under evaluation
Myocarditis was listed as the second most common serious side effect due to vaccination among older teens and young men. There were only 13 cases reported in the age group between May to December 2021, with the four hospitalized reportedly recovered
