Surgeon general pushes back on McConaughey over vaccinations for kids

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is rebutting comments by actor Matthew McConaughey, who said Tuesday that he is against vaccine mandates for children. 

Murthy has said that “COVID is not harmless in our children” while speaking on CNN, responding to comments that were made by the “Interstellar” actor Tuesday where he stated that his children would remain unvaccinated and that he is opposed to mandated childhood vaccinations against COVID-19, according to CNN Politics.

“Many kids have died. Sadly, hundreds of children — thousands — have been hospitalized, and as a dad of a child who has been hospitalized several years ago for another illness, I would never wish upon any parent they have a child that ends up in the hospital,” Murthy told CNN’s Erin Burnett.

Murthy added, “And the vaccines have shown in these trials for children 5 through 11 they are more at 90 percent effective in protecting our kids from symptomatic infection, and they are remarkably safe as well.”

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy responds to Matthew McConaughey saying he doesn’t want to vaccinate his children just yet:

“COVID is not harmless in our children … [vaccines] are remarkably safe, as well.” pic.twitter.com/d8WKwratNy

— The Recount (@therecount) November 10, 2021

McConaughey, a father of three, has said that he is not a conspiracy theorist and that he and his wife are vaccinated against COVID-19, but that they did it by choice and not because someone “told them to.”

“I couldn’t mandate having to vaccinate the younger kids. I still want to find out more information,” stated McConaughey. 

McConaughey has previously floated the idea of running for office as a “true consideration” against Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in the 2022 midterms. 

Cruz has said that he hopes that McConaughey doesn’t run, noting, “He’s a movie star and a good-looking, charming, affable movie star can be a really formidable candidate on the ballot.”