By Stephen M. Lepore For Dailymail.Com
Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey came out against vaccine mandates for children on Tuesday – even as the father of three revealed he has gotten both shots.
McConaughey, 52, said that while he and his wife are both vaccinated, he doesn’t want to mandate the COVID-19 jabs for children, including his kids – aged 13, 11 and 8.
‘I couldn’t mandate having to vaccinate the younger kids. I still want to find out more information,’ McConaughey said.
McConaughey, who continues to flirt with a run for governor of Texas, made his comments after the Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer shot for emergency use by children aged 5 to 11.
Actor Matthew McConaughey said that he was against vaccine mandates for younger kids Tuesday
McConaughey added that both he and his wife were vaccinated but he had no plans to vaccinate his three children
The Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer shot for emergency use by children aged 5 to 11
McConaughey told writer Andrew Ross Sorkin that vaccinations should be about personal choice in an interview on Tuesday.
‘I’m vaccinated. My wife’s vaccinated. I didn’t do it because someone told me I had to — [I] chose to do it,’ he said.
‘Do I think that there’s any kind of scam or conspiracy theory? Hell no. We all got to get off that narrative. There’s not a conspiracy theory on the vaccines,’ he said.
But he added that ‘right now’ he won’t vaccinate his three children against the virus.
There have been 680 children under the age 18 who have died from Covid-19 during the pandemic as of November 3, according to the CDC. Many of those had underlying health issues.
In McConaughey’s home state, 61.9 per cent of Texans have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine and 53.8 per cent were fully vaccinated.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy responded to McConaughey on CNN later Tuesday, saying that vaccinating children was important because ‘Covid is not harmless’ to them.
‘Many kids have died. Sadly, hundreds of children. Thousands have been hospitalized, and as a dad of a child who has been hospitalized several years ago for another illness, I would never wish upon any parent they have a child that ends up in the hospital,’ Murthy said.
‘And the vaccines have shown in these trials for children 5 through 11 they are more than 90 per cent effective in protecting our kids from symptomatic infection, and they are remarkably safe as well.’
Around 67.5 per cent of Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
McConaughey said that his family quarantined fairly extensively during 2020 and made use of a ‘heavy amount’ of tests for the virus.
‘I’m in a position though where I can do that, and I understand that not everyone can do that,’ he said.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy responded to McConaughey Thursday, saying vaccines were important for kids because ‘Covid is not harmless’ to them
Around 67.5 percent of Americans have received at least one dose of the vaccine
McConaughey has not yet said whether he’ll challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022, saying in October he thinks politics is a ‘bag of rats’ and believes his life ‘outside of politics’ is better than it would be if he changed his career path.
Nonetheless, the Dazed and Confused star also gave his thought on the state’s six-week abortion ban which, has launched protests and challenges in the courts.
‘It doesn’t seem to open up the room for a sensible choice to be made at the right time,’ he said about the ban, which he felt was ‘overly aggressive.’
‘I believe in this: more responsibility, more personal responsibility to make the right choices. And we got to pick context with each situation, and each person’s situation, each woman’s situation.’
McConaughey has been flirting with running against Texas Governor Greg Abbott (pictured) in 2022
What are other countries doing about Covid-19 vaccinations for children
The United States rolled out Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE Covid-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11 last week, with the first jabs administered just minutes after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off approval.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on November 2 unanimously voted 14-0 to recommend the jab for youngsters after it was authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration in the age group on October 29.
But with many parts of the world still awaiting doses for more vulnerable people, the World Health Organisation has urged countries and companies that control the global supply of the vaccines to prioritize supply to COVAX.
The following is a list of some countries that have approved or are considering vaccinating children:
EU COUNTRIES
- On Oct. 18, the EU’s medicines regulator said it had started evaluating the use of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine in 5 to 11-year-old children.
- In June, Denmark said it would offer COVID-19 shots to children aged 12-15 to boost its overall immunity against the virus.
- France has started vaccinating those from 12 years upwards, provided they have parental consent.
- Germany in August agreed to make vaccination available to all children aged 12-17.
- Austria has started vaccinating children aged 12-15.
- Estonia could start vaccinating teenagers by the autumn, public broadcaster ERR reported, citing the head of the government’s COVID-19 council.
- Hungary started vaccinating 16 to 18-year-olds in mid-May, according to Xinhua news agency.
- Italy on May 31 approved extending the use of Pfizer’s vaccine to 12-15 year olds. On July 28, it also endorsed the use of Moderna’s vaccine for 12-17 aged children.
- Lithuania’s prime minister said the country could start vaccinating children from age 12 in June, news site Delfi reported.
- Spain begun vaccinating children between 12 and 17 years old around two weeks before the academic year in September, the health minister said.
- Swedish PM says children aged 12-15 will be offered COVID vaccine later this autumn.
- Greece in July said children aged 12-15 could be vaccinated against COVID-19 with Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna shots.
- Finland’s capital Helsinki in June said it will begin giving COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 12 to 15 who are at risk of contracting a severe coronavirus infection.
- On July 27, Ireland lowered the age for COVID-19 vaccination to 12 years.
- Poland started offering COVID-19 vaccines to children of ages 12-15.
EUROPE (NON-EU)
- On Oct. 19, UK said it will open up COVID vaccine booking service to those aged 12-15.
- Switzerland approved on June 4 vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds with Pfizer’s shot, while Moderna’s shot was approved in August for the age group.
- In September, Norway started to offer one dose of Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 12 to 15
MIDDLE EAST
- In August, Israel began offering a COVID-19 booster to children as young as 12.
- The United Arab Emirates said in August rolled out China’s Sinopharm vaccine to children aged 3-17. On Nov.1, UAE approved Pfizer-BioNtech shot for children aged 5-11 for emergency use.
- Bahrain approved Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 3-11 from Oct. 27, while on Nov. 2, the Gulf state approved the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use for children aged between 5 and 11 years.
ASIA-PACIFIC
- Indonesia on Nov. 1 authorised China’s Sinovac vaccine for children aged 6 and above.
- Malaysia on Oct. 29 said it would procure the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, following a U.S. expert panel’s recommendation
- Vietnam will begin inoculating children aged 16 and 17 with parental consent from next month using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
- An advisory committee to the Indian regulator recommended emergency use of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 shot in the 2 to 18 age-group. The regulator’s nod is awaited.
- New Zealand’s medicines regulator in June provisionally approved use of Pfizer’s vaccine for 12-15 year olds.
- Australia said on Sept. 12 it will expand its COVID-19 vaccination drive to include around one million children aged 12-15.
- China on June 5 approved emergency use of Sinovac’s vaccine for those between three and 17.
- Hong Kong said on June 3 it would open its vaccine scheme to children over the age of 12.
- Singapore opened up its vaccination programme to adolescents aged 12-18 from June 1.
- Japan on May 28 approved the use of Pfizer’s vaccine for those aged 12 and above.
- The Philippines on May 26 decided to allow the Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine for emergency use in children aged 12-15.
- Jordan in July begun vaccinating children aged 12 years and older against COVID-19.
AMERICAS
- The COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech will be the only one used in Mexico for at-risk children aged 12-17.
- Brazil on June 11 approved use of Pfizer’s vaccine for children over 12.
- On Sept. 6, Chile approved the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd for use in children over 6 years of age.
- U.S. FDA has authorized the Pfizer vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky must make her recommendations before it can be rolled out.
- Canada in early May approved use of Pfizer’s vaccine for use in children aged 12-15 but the decision for children between 5 an 11 years is not likely to come before mid- to end-November.
- Cuba’s vaccination campaign includes children as young as two.
- On Sept. 13, El Salvador cleared the use of COVID-19 vaccine in 6 to 11-year-old children. (https://bit.ly/30RiKe7)
- Argentina is vaccinating children as young as three with Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine. (https://bit.ly/3miSiCD)
- Ecuador’s vaccination includes kids as young as six with the China’s Sinovac vaccine
- Columbia is offering Pfizer, AstraZenenca, Moderna, Sinopharm and J&J’s COVID-19 vaccines for children 12 years and above
- Costa Rica is vaccinating 12 years and above
AFRICA
- South Africa will start vaccinating children between the ages of 12 and 17 next week using the Pfizer vaccine
Reporting by Reuters
