The leading GOP candidate in the California gubernatorial recall election is under fire for recent controversial remarks he made on COVID-19.
In a CNN interview on Monday, Larry Elder stated he doesn't think it's necessary for young people to get vaccinated against the virus or for children to wear masks at school, and vowed to repeal any mask or vaccine mandates for California's state workers if he is elected.
"I don't believe the science suggests that young people should be vaccinated. I don't believe the science suggests that young people should have to wear masks at school," said Elder.
Even though there has been a surge in positive cases among young people recently, especially as schools reopened across the state, he doubled down on his remarks, asserting that "young people are not likely to contract the coronavirus, and when they do, their symptoms are likely to be mild, and they're not likely to be hospitalized, and certainly not likely to die."
These comments are particularly harmful as a COVID-19 vaccine is not yet available to children younger than 12.
More than 49,000 children have been hospitalized with COVID-19 since August of 2020, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Elder is correct that younger people are less at risk of severe illness and death than older people, but that does not mean the virus is not dangerous for youth. Among children who are younger than 18 years old, 496 have died from the virus, according to data from the CDC website as of Monday. And 3,031 COVID-19 patients between the ages of 18 and 29 years old have died, according to the agency's data.
"I think the science is all over the place about young people," Elder said in the interview. "I would have to dispute your notion that young people are dying."
Elder himself has been vaccinated and has said he’s urged others to get the vaccine. But as governor, he’s said he won’t require state workers to get vaccinated, to get tested once a week, or to wear masks at work, as Newsom has mandated.
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