In this week’s message to the community, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich expressed his disappointment in the updated federal COVID-19 guidelines released by the CDC no longer recommending the vaccine for for healthy children or pregnant women. His full response can be seen below:
“I want to acknowledge my deep disappointment with this week’s announcement that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children or pregnant women. This decision is not based on science, and it is not the best way to guide the millions of Americans who rely on the CDC for health advice to avoid disease.
That is not just wrong, it is dangerous. And it is insulting to the scientists who worked tirelessly to save lives during this pandemic. During COVID, Montgomery County had one of the highest vaccination rates in the country, and as a result, we had one of the lowest death rates among large jurisdictions. That is not a coincidence. That’s called cause and effect. The vaccine saved lives.
This new guidance upends the way good policy is made, which is based on science. It is another sign that we are living in what Gore Vidal called the “United States of Amnesia.” We are talking about something that happened just four or five years ago—not ancient history. How can the most scientifically advanced health agency in the world now ignore the very science that helped us get through this?
It’s chilling. It’s infuriating. And honestly, it’s a sign of the times to come. We are going to keep doing what we have always done—following the evidence, protecting our residents and speaking the truth, no matter how politically inconvenient it may be.”