I was going to write a long post explaining exactly why you should get your 5-11 year old children vaccinated against COVID-19.

I was going to send you lots of links to articles about the science supporting the decision to vaccinate kids.

I was going to explain how vaccinating kids will reduce community transmission and protect your vulnerable friends and relatives. People who because of age or their underlying medical conditions can’t always rely on their own vaccines to save them if they get an infection. And how vaccinating 5-11 year olds will protect their younger siblings who can't get vaccinated yet.

I was going to write about how vaccinating kids means less cases, which means less variants, and less risk of new strains that aren’t controlled by our current vaccines and medical interventions.

I was going to tell you about how we have no idea what the long term implications of COVID-19 infection will be. Some recovered patients have lingering problems with lung, heart or kidney function. With concentration and memory. With strokes. And those are just things that have been noted in the first two years of the pandemic - some problems may not be understood for decades. You really should prevent your kids from getting it if you can.

I was going to point out that the FDA advisory panel voted 17-0 to authorize the Pfizer vaccine for emergency use in children aged 5-11, and that the CDC panel voted 14-0 to recommend vaccination of these kids.

I was going to say that the data we have shows that the vaccine is extremely safe for kids.

I was going to remind you that long before COVID-19, EVERY state government had mandated vaccination of ALL school children against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, and rubella. 49 states require vaccination against mumps (what’s up with that, Iowa?).

I was going to write about how vaccinating kids, along with dropping community transmission rates, will be the key to a safe return to a normal life for them. For mask-free school and indoor play dates and shows and restaurants and travel.

I was going to write about all of this, but then I realized that this picture says it better than anything that I could write.

I took my daughter to get her shot today. I can’t give you a better argument for vaccinating kids than that.

#stopthespread