Bottles of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
As a pediatric health care provider, it’s deeply disheartening to witness our state’s leaders squander an important opportunity to protect the health and safety of Louisianans —especially our children.
Recent hearings held by the House Select Committee on Homeland Security were supposed to be a chance to reflect on Louisiana’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and identify ways to strengthen our public health systems. Instead, these hearings became a platform for spreading falsehoods, conspiracy theories and dangerous anti-vaccine rhetoric.
The people of Louisiana deserve better.
Our state has faced tremendous challenges — from hurricanes to health crises — and the COVID-19 pandemic was yet another test of our resilience. What we need now is a commitment to learning from the past, improving our systems and preparing for the future.
Instead, we saw taxpayer dollars used to amplify deceptive anti-vaccine talking points that undermines public trust and endangers lives. The presence of so-called “experts” who were invited to push dangerous conspiracy theories in a formal government setting was not only irresponsible but deeply disappointing. Even more troubling were the statements made by our state’s surgeon general and deputy surgeon general, whose remarks only served to legitimize these baseless claims.
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As health care providers, we are on the frontlines — caring for patients, answering parents’ questions, and addressing fears. We know firsthand that vaccines are one of the most effective tools we have to prevent infectious diseases. The COVID-19 vaccines, such as those from Moderna and Pfizer, have proven to be over 90% effective in preventing severe illness and hospitalization, while Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine was over 80% effective.
Vaccines have saved countless lives, not only during this pandemic but throughout history — protecting against diseases such as measles, polio and meningitis. Yet, rather than supporting these life-saving measures, our leaders have chosen to cater to a vocal minority intent on spreading fear and falsehoods about vaccines.
Unfortunately, recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paints a worrying picture: Louisiana has the second-lowest COVID-19 vaccination rate in the country, with only 70% of the population vaccinated.
While the majority of Louisiana parents still choose to vaccinate their kindergartners, alarmingly, more parents are opting out, with the rate of non-medical exemptions nearly doubling in a single year. These trends put our communities—especially our children—at risk for outbreaks of diseases we can easily prevent.
Lower vaccination rates weaken herd immunity, making us all more vulnerable, especially those who are most at risk — children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. By using these hearings to promote anti-science statements, our lawmakers have failed in their duty to protect the people of Louisiana. Instead of focusing on the real challenges we face, they have exacerbated them.
Louisiana has a proud history of resilience in the face of adversity. We’ve overcome hurricanes, floods and health crises before, and we will continue to do so. But to meet these challenges, we must be united, grounded in facts and guided by science. It is crucial that we shift the conversation back to what matters most: protecting the health of our children and communities.
As health care providers, parents, and concerned citizens, we all have a role to play. We must advocate for evidence-based public health policies, support vaccination efforts and push back against the dangerous spread of misinformation.
Together, we can ensure a future where every child in Louisiana has the opportunity to grow up healthy and protected. It’s time to move past the noise and focus on building a stronger, healthier Louisiana for future generations.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.