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This week, Mary Holland, Children’s Health Defense (CHD) president, and Polly Tommey, co-producer of “Vaxxed,” cover the latest COVID headlines, including heart problems in young people in Connecticut post-COVID vaccine, how Snapchat and the White House are teaming up to get teens vaccinated, and schools that are creating pep-rally atmospheres with mascots, food and prizes to encourage students to get the COVID vaccine. 

Mary and Polly also discuss how Merck is using celebs to push childhood vaccines, Germany’s plan to start vaccinating kids 12 to 15 for COVID and the enrollment of children ages 6 months to 11 years old in a Moderna vaccine study at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

Here are a few of this week’s highlights:

  • The Telegraph issued a retraction for a May 11 article claiming children 12- to 15-years old are one of the age groups most responsible for spreading COVID. The Telegraph admitted it lacked evidence to back up the claim.
  • Texas pediatricians are sounding the alarm over a major drop in vaccination rates among Texas babies. A new study comparing vaccination rates from 2019 to 2020, found 5-month-old Texas babies saw a 47% decline, while 16-month-olds saw a 58% decline. Mary said, “That means young kids are going to be less likely to get autism.”
  • A young mom is fighting for her life after the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine caused 14 anaphylactic shocks and led her to be put into an induced coma. 
  • The AstraZeneca vaccine for the first time is linked to ischaemic strokes which occur when blood clots form and block flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Two women in their 30s and a man in his 40s suffered ischaemic strokes after getting the vaccine. 
  • A healthy, 38-year-old Colorado woman nearly died after the COVID vaccine caused severe blood clots and organ failure. Now she’s calling for a federal compensation system for those injured by COVID vaccines. “It’s so irresponsible for the government to be urging everybody to get these shots when there’s no adequate reporting system for injuries and there’s no adequate compensation program,” said Mary. 
  • The Biden administration is considering vaccine passports for international travel. The U.S. doesn’t have requirements for international travelers to be vaccinated, but requires those traveling into the U.S. to test negative for COVID.
  • Microneedle patches are being developed to deliver vaccines without the pain caused by the traditional jabbing of a needle. “Do they really think we’re scared of a needle going in us?” asked Polly. “Is that what they think the problem is?”
  • Chicago restaurant owners plan to introduce vaccinated and unvaccinated sections. At one restaurant, those who prove their full vaccination history will be given a neon bracelet granting entrance to the unrestricted vaccinated section. “It’s this idea that vaccination is your ticket to the pre-pandemic lifestyle. If you want to be free, you have to go get the vaccine,” said Mary. “Let’s see how long this lasts. It’s such an obvious contradiction to the other narrative, which is diversity, inclusion and equity.”
  • A group of 117 unvaccinated staffers are suing a Houston hospital over its vaccine mandate. Plaintiffs say they don’t want to be “guinea pigs” and that the hospital’s vaccine mandate violates a set of medical ethics standards known as the Nuremberg Code. “We think that’s the correct interpretation of the law,” said Mary. “While this vaccine is Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) only, the statutory language in the federal code and the case law suggests that you cannot force people to take an EUA vaccine.” 
  • Follow Children’s Health Defense Live for more interviews by Polly, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others. Tune into The People’s Statements with Polly to hear live testimonies from around the world about mask mandates, emergency use COVID vaccines and more. 

Watch “This Week” with Mary + Polly: