But protecting a low-risk group like schoolchildren from viral transmission has never made much sense. It was clear in the pandemic’s early days that children had little risk of severe outcomes from the virus. Over nearly four years (from January 2020 to December 2023), children aged five to 17 accounted for less than one-tenth of 1 percent of total Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. (911 deaths out of 1.17 million). In contrast, the most vulnerable group—people aged 65 and older—accounted for more than three-quarters of deaths. Similarly, those aged five to 17 have consistently had one-tenth the Covid-19 hospitalization rate of the population at large, while those aged 65 and older had rates 25 times as high.

Covid-19 vaccines, like any medicine, are not risk-free. They pose a documented risk of serious heart inflammation (myocarditis and pericarditis) most frequently seen in adolescent and young adult males. Such risks warrant caution in recommending the vaccines to a group with such an extraordinarily low risk of severe disease.

If the CDC is going to recommend vaccination for those aged 18 or younger, it should focus its guidance on the subpopulation within this age group that is most at risk of severe disease and death.