MSNBC Misinfo: Zeke Emanuel Peddles Fear, Says Unvaxxed Children ‘Likely To Get Serious Case Of Covid’

(by Tyler Durden | Zero Hedge) – Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel – former Biden Covid-19 adviser and brother of former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (and the real ‘Ari Gold’ from Entourage) appeared on MSNBC Wednesday, where he proceeded to peddle the lie that unvaccinated children are ‘likely’ to get a ‘serious’ case of Covid.

“This repeats what we’ve seen in older kids, five and above, where we know the vaccine does protect very well. And there we still have under 50%, I believe, of the children vaccinated, and that’s a serious problem for the country,” Emanuel told host Kristen Welker after she asked about parents’ willingness to vaccinate their children. “Parents have to be more willing – I think they hear some of these rare side effects and think they’re very common.”

“With the omicron variant, kids are either going to get the vaccine or they’re likely to get a serious condition of omicron. Having omicron with the vaccine is almost invariably going to be better and safer for children,” Emanuel added. “I am confused about parents’ attitudes. Five and above seems like a no-brainer. Two to five, I understand some hesitancy. Two and under with the small dose, I think probably a very good idea.”

It’s been widely established that Omicron is a relatively mild strain of Covid – from which children face an extremely low risk.

Another recent study cited by economist Emily Oster also reiterated the extremely low risk young children face of severe COVID-19 outcomes. “What we can say is that based on everything we know, the risks to small children from COVID-19 are extremely small,” she wrote. –Fox News

MSNBC faced harsh criticism over Emanuel’s statement.

This statement is not remotely true. https://t.co/iLSeeCsXz5

— Matt Welch (@MattWelch) February 4, 2022

The network even tweeted (and then deleted) the easily debunked misinformation, receiving a serious ratio of comments to ‘likes.’

Intentional? Or…

Following the backlash, Emanuel issued a Saturday tweet in which he says he “misspoke.”

I misspoke on live TV. Unvaxxed kids aren’t likely to get a “serious condition” of Omicron, but they’re more likely to contract a case of Omicron.

To be clear: parents should protect their kids against COVID-19 and get them vaccinated. https://t.co/z0AY4bToK1

— Zeke Emanuel (@ZekeEmanuel) February 5, 2022