Colorado Senator grills HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., sparking vaccine debate
Mackenzie Stafford
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) – In a heated Senate hearing over CDC turmoil and vaccines, Colorado Senator Michael Bennet (D) questioned Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
You can find more on Thursday’s hearing here.
This week alone, Colorado has gone up against federal recommendations when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine and needing a prescription. Colorado Senator Bennet voiced his concerns Thursday morning.
It’s a polarizing issue, but KRDO13 spoke with some local pediatricians who support Colorado’s plan.
Dr. Simony at Steel City Pediatrics in Pueblo said it’s your choice whether to vaccinate your kids. He says we cannot force vaccine mandates and that will only push people away.
But he also said, “Go to the historic cemetery and see how many kids’ and young people’s grave stones are there. There was a time before vaccines when people would die from these diseases so quickly.”
Experts with the state health department say that, regardless of what’s done on Capitol Hill, they’ll stick to the science.
“I think these are challenging times. And what we’re trying to do is stick with the science, try to stay out of the politics, and do what we can do to make safe and effective therapies available to keep our residents safe,” shared Dr. Ned Calonge, with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, “We are committed to continuing to let the evidence guide our recommendations around all vaccines.”
Some raise concerns over not being able to receive vaccines due to allergies or other contraindications. It’s part of why Dr. Calonge said it’s so important to check in with your primary care provider to see what’s best for you.
“I always would recommend that parents, and in fact adults as well, check with your usual source of care. One of the reasons you establish a relationship with the usual source of care… is because you trust them, and you trust them to provide you with the information that’s in your best interest in making decisions. So I would really ask people to start there. And then I will say… the measles vaccine is the best way to not get measles, to not get sick, not have that disease that can cause so many problems, and not pass it on to others who might do even worse. The COVID-19 vaccine is the best way to not get COVID-19. It’s a safe and effective vaccine,” explained Dr. Ned Calonge.
Doctor Valerie Beck with Sunrise Pediatrics says she’s dismayed by the news coming out of Washington, D.C. She says it’s important to follow the science and research-backed solutions when treating kids. She points to the American Academy of Pediatrics and its Red Book for trustworthy guidance on pediatric infectious disease prevention.
“So there is the American Academy of Pediatricians, and they’ve released their recommendations…They looked at the last set of recommendations, and they said, ‘Is there any new evidence that these don’t work or that they’re harmful?’ They found not…The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists did the same thing because one of the problems with the latest set of recommendations was that it left out pregnant women for COVID-19. And yet there’s no evidence other than it helps prevent Covid for pregnant women, and they’re at a high risk for having more severe illness because you’re talking about two individuals instead of one…the obstetricians and gynecologists came out with their own recommendations to make sure that we offer and provide the COVID-19 vaccine for pregnant persons,” stated Dr. Calonge.
We also asked Calonge about some of the specific concerns Sen. Bennet raised regarding schools and students amid vaccine uncertainty.
One school district in Colorado Springs that’s seen a drop in MMR vaccinations in recent years is Colorado Springs School District 11. State data show that the district’s MMR vaccine rate fell from 93% to 84% over the past five years. KRDO13 asked D11 for comment and has not received a response as of Thursday night.
“This is a great concern to us. In fact, we have a goal to try to get our immunization rates specifically for measles, mumps and rubella up above that 90, even up to that 94% area. And so we’re undertaking a lot of activities in terms of making the vaccine available, sending reminders to parents. You know, we have a vaccine registry that allows us to track vaccine rate and reminders, postcards and encourage parents to get vaccinated. I think the measles is of particular importance now, because we’re seeing a resurgence of measles in Colorado, and the best way to protect our kids against what can be a very serious illness is [a] safe and effective vaccine that’s easy to get… We have a mobile van that we can use to vaccinate kids. We’re doing surveillance to be careful to see where measles might be coming back. And then we’re using a lot of effort of our staff and, in partnership with local public health departments, to try to get kids immunized and protect us from what could be a new epidemic,” shared Dr. Calonge.
Here’s where the state reports the data per school district.
You can also find the recommendations from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Measles guidance here.