U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy responded directly to actor Matthew McConaughey’s reluctance to vaccinate his young children for COVID-19.
When asked about the Oscar winner’s statement that he “couldn’t mandate having to vaccinate the younger kids” and still wanted to “find out more information” on the subject, Murthy appealed to the actor directly during an interview on CNN.
“Well, what I would say, first of all, is look, you and I are both parents,” Murthy remarked. “We know there is nothing more important than the safety of our children. And so, if you are a parent out there and you have got questions, that’s okay to have questions. You know, you should ask your questions. You should get them answered.”
Murthy explained that adult vaccine hesitancy was prevalent in the majority of the American population before people were reassured by government health agencies and were able to witness their friends and family get the jab. “All of that is going to start happening now with vaccines for children, as well,” he insisted.
Murthy noted that COVID is not harmless to children and many have died. “The vaccines have shown in these trials for children 5 through 11, they are more at 90 percent effective and they are remarkably safe as well,” he concluded
McConaughey clarified his position on mandating vaccines for young children on Instagram Wednesday.
“When asked my opinion on the subject of children and vaccination mandates I stated, ‘I couldn’t mandate it for kids just yet.’ What was not clear is that I was referring specifically to the 5-11 year old mandate,” he detailed.
“What is NOT true, and insinuated with the clickbait headlines since, is that I am against vaccinating children at all. This is false. In fact, our eldest 13-year-old son Levi is fully vaccinated for COVID-19,” he continued.
The “Dallas Buyers Club” star said he appreciated the “ear and clarity,” before signing off with his tagline: “Just keep livin.”
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FJB, Let’s Go Brandon!