I can't believe I have to keep doing this

[View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter]( October 28, 2021 Hi, Kiera Butler here, on the coronavirus beat. On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration’s advisory committee recommended that the agency authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 5-11. That approval could come any day now. Listen closely, and you may hear a collective sigh of relief emanating from millions of parents. But not everyone is celebrating: Anti-vaccine activists are already [planting]( [seeds]( of [doubt](. Among disinformation experts, there’s a strategy called “[prebunking](”—basically, educating people about the kinds of rumors they can expect to encounter. It’s like, well, an immunization—but for disinformation. In that spirit, here are five claims that anti-vaxxers are already making, along with the reasons they’re wrong. Almost all kids who get severe cases of COVID-19 have pre-existing conditions, so we don’t need vaccines for healthy kids that age. Nope: About [a third]( of kids hospitalized with COVID-19 between March 2020 and June 2021 had no underlying conditions. What’s more, the conditions that can increase a child’s risk of severe COVID-19 are relatively common: They include asthma ([7 percent of kids](), immune-system problems, premature birth ([nearly 10 percent](), and obesity ([20 percent](). This year, COVID 19 is the [sixth leading cause of death]( among 5-11-year-olds. The kids’ trial wasn’t big enough to detect potential harmful effects from the vaccine. It’s true that the size of the Pfizer trial for kids ages 5-11 was small—around [2,268 people](, compared to about 44,000 in the adult trial. But here’s some context: Among teens, the most common serious side effect was inflammation of the heart muscle, called myocarditis. Almost all cases of this condition resolved, and the risk of suffering from myocarditis as a result of COVID-19 infection was [far greater](. There weren’t any cases of myocarditis in the kids’ trial. One reason for this could be that the dose of the shot is lower, about a third of that given to teens and adults. But it’s reasonable to believe that if this condition does crop up, it will follow a similar pattern to what we observed among teens. For the final three infuriatingly persistent anti-vax myths, "prebunked", [click here](. There will be more claims that bubble up in the coming weeks. Be on the lookout for supposed miracle cures, and remember that preying on parents’ fear is a tactic in and of itself—and a [remarkably effective]( one at that. —Kiera Butler Advertisement [ACLU]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [We Debunk 5 Anti-Vax Myths About Kids’ COVID-19 Vaccines]( Or more like "prebunk". BY KIERA BUTLER SPONSORED POST [Sponsored Content]( [Achieving Climate Justice for 500 Million Family Farms Worldwide]( Why Fairtrade organizations and farmers say global leaders need to step up and how you can help. THIS CONTENT WAS PAID FOR AND SPONSORED BY [FAIRTRADE AMERICA](. [Trending] [Biden vastly expands “protected areas” where ICE can’t arrest immigrants]( BY FERNANDA ECHAVARRI ["You are worth more": Kaiser Permanente workers are on the verge of a historic strike]( BY NOAH LANARD [Taxing billionaires is overdue, but there's a better way to do it]( BY MICHAEL MECHANIC [How do people join militias? A leaked Oath Keepers roster has answers.]( BY ALI BRELAND Advertisement [ACLU]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [The Owners of the Democrats’ Big Data Firm Have a Side Gig: Working to Elect Far-Right Republicans]( “This is pretty damning.” BY DAVID CORN [Urgent Fundraising Request] Our fall fundraising drive is off to a rough start, and we very much need to raise $250,000 in the next couple of weeks. If you value the journalism you get from Mother Jones, please help us do it with a donation today. We can't afford to come up short, and there's still a long way to go by November 5. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755