‘Alarming Possibility’ COVID Booster Mandates Will Cause ‘Net Harm’ to Young Adults, Study Claims

A new study claims to show that COVID-19 booster vaccines, particularly of the mRNA variety, are likely to pose a net harm to individuals aged 18-29.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal’s Journal of Medical Ethics by a team of researchers at institutions in the U.S., United Kingdom and Canada, estimates that somewhere between 31,000 and 43,000 young adults must be vaccinated with a COVID-19 booster to prevent one hospitalization from the illness. The researchers anticipated at least 18.5 “serious adverse events” for each hospitalization prevented.

📢Read our new paper:

Analysis suggests Covid-19 boosters likely to cause a net clinical harm to young adults(18-29 yr), where total severe adverse events (SAEs) will outweigh Covid hospitalizations averted

Booster mandates are unethical because:1/13🧵https://t.co/QNmF8rIneH pic.twitter.com/SWauggdHXY

— Kevin Bardosh (@KevinBardosh) December 5, 2022

The authors argue that, based on their data, universities and other institutions should not be enforcing booster vaccine mandates unless it is proven that the cost-benefit scale tips in the vaccine’s favor. They conducted the analysis using publicly-available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on COVID-19 and vaccine adverse events.

“Our estimate shows that university COVID-19 vaccine mandates are likely to cause net expected harms to young healthy adults—for each hospitalisation averted we estimate approximately 18.5 SAEs and 1430–4626 disruptions of daily activities—that is not outweighed by a proportionate public health benefit,” the paper concludes. “As such, these severe infringements of individual liberty and human rights are ethically unjustifiable.”

“Our analysis … shows the alarming possibility that mandates may result in a net expected harm to young people,” one of the authors, Kevin Bardosh, wrote on Twitter.

2) Our analysis (see above) shows the alarming possibility that mandates may result in a net expected harm to young people. This violates the 'do no harm principle.' 8/13

Our estimates assume NO ONE has been infected w Covid. So: real-world benefits likely to be less favourable.

— Kevin Bardosh (@KevinBardosh) December 5, 2022