Rand Paul COVID vaccine theories aren't helping to bridge public health divide

View OpEd: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/opinion/contributors/2025/10/15/covid-vaccine-health-rand-paul-trump-biden/86570079007/

References:

1. Sun LH, Roubein, Diamond D. Trump officials to link covid shots to child deaths, alarming career scientists
The Washington Post. Sept. 12, 2025. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/09/12/covid-vaccine-child-death-cdc/

2. Kavanagh K. COVID isn't over. RFK Jr.'s vaccine recommendation is a terrible choice. | Opinion. Courier Journal. June 2, 2025. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/opinion/contributors/2025/06/02/covid-vaccine-recommendation-rfk-jr-pregnant-women-healthy-children/83941480007/

3. Faust J. There are now two CDC's. Inside Medicine. Oct. 6, 2025. https://insidemedicine.substack.com/p/there-are-now-two-cdcs

4. U.S. Senate Hearing. Hearings to examine reviewing recent events at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and implications for children's health. Congress.Gov. Accessed on Oct. 12, 2025. https://www.congress.gov/event/119th-congress/senate-event/337425

5. AAP analyzes pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations from 2020-’24. AAP research. July 1, 2024. on Oct. 12, 2025. https://publications.aap.org/aapnews/news/29182/AAP-analyzes-pediatric-COVID-19-hospitalizations?autologincheck=redirected

6. Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, CDC. Current Epidemiology of COVID-19. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) June 25, 2025. Accessed on Oct. 12, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/acip/downloads/slides-2025-06-25-26/02-MacNeil-COVID-508.pdf

7. Ford ND, Vahratian A, Pratt CQ, et al. Long COVID Prevalence and Associated Activity Limitation in US Children. JAMA Pediatr. 2025 Apr 1;179(4):471-473. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.6206. PMID: 39899316; PMCID: PMC11791766. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2829880

8. Zhang B, Wu Q, Jhaveri R. et al. Long COVID associated with SARS-CoV-2 reinfection among children and adolescents in the omicron era (RECOVER-EHR): a retrospective cohort study. Lancet Infect Dis. 2025 Sep 30:S1473-3099(25)00476-1. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(25)00476-1. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41043442. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(25)00476-1/fulltext

9. Watanabe A, Kani R, Iwagami M, Takagi H, Yasuhara J, Kuno T. Assessment of Efficacy and Safety of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines in Children Aged 5 to 11 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2023 Apr 1;177(4):384-394. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.6243. PMID: 36689319; PMCID: PMC9871947. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2800743

10. Knudsen B, Prasad V. COVID-19 vaccine induced myocarditis in young males: A systematic review. Eur J Clin Invest. 2023 Apr;53(4):e13947. doi: 10.1111/eci.13947. Epub 2023 Jan 3. PMID: 36576362; PMCID: PMC9880674. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eci.13947

11. Patone M, Mei XW, Handunnetthi L, et al. Risks of myocarditis, pericarditis, and cardiac arrhythmias associated with COVID-19 vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nat Med. 2022 Feb;28(2):410-422. doi: 10.1038/s41591-021-01630-0. Epub 2021 Dec 14. PMID: 34907393; PMCID: PMC8863574. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01630-0

12. Heidecker B, Dagan N, Balicer R, et al. Myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccine: incidence, presentation, diagnosis, pathophysiology, therapy, and outcomes put into perspective. A clinical consensus document supported by the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the ESC Working Group on Myocardial and Pericardial Diseases. Eur J Heart Fail. 2022 Nov;24(11):2000-2018. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.2669. Epub 2022 Oct 6. Erratum in: Eur J Heart Fail. 2023 Mar;25(3):443. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.2789. PMID: 36065751; PMCID: PMC9538893. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9538893/

13. Wu Q, Zhang B, Tong J, et al. Real-world effectiveness and causal mediation study of BNT162b2 on long COVID risks in children and adolescents. EClinicalMedicine. 2024 Dec 6;79:102962. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102962. PMID: 39720603; PMCID: PMC11667630. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(24)00541-8/fulltext

14. Leading Experts Call for Immediate Action To Address Inhalation Exposure To Prevent COVID-19 Infections and Deaths. Feb. 17, 2021. https://sph.umd.edu/news/leading-experts-call-immediate-action-address-inhalation-exposure-prevent-covid-19-infections-and https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O5zd_JO-D98iY4DpzwVVfPQFoRIFHpQ5/view

15. Facher L. Biden dissolves Covid-19 panel that advised his transition. STAT10. Jan. 20, 2021. https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/20/biden-dissolves-covid-19-panel-that-aided-transition/

16. Montanaro D, Weiner C. Biden Sets Goal Of July 4th To 'Mark Independence' From Coronavirus. NPR. WEKU.ORG Mar. 11, 2021. https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/03/11/975420676/biden-to-address-the-nation-marking-1-year-of-coronavirus-pandemic

17. Pettypiece S, Przybyla H, Egan L. Biden announces sweeping vaccine mandates affecting millions of workers. NBC News. Sept. 9, 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-announce-additional-vaccine-mandates-he-unveils-new-covid-strategy-n1278735