A number of hospitals have introduced a bizarre policy: for all hospitalized kids and adults, we will offer (strongly/ coercively) covid and flu vaccines before discharge. Let's consider this policy.
Most parents and doctors think it is wise for kids to get plenty of exercise. Imagine you have a policy for your kids. If they take a day off from school because they are sick, you make them run a mile right before they return to school.
Wait, you might say. That is crazy. Exercise is good, but they are still recovering. They should take it easy when they return it school. If anything, skip running for a few days. Then when they feel better, run all you want. That's the advice your grandma would give.
Similarly when kids and adults are discharged from the hospital, they are not 100% well. They often need a few more days to mend at home.
Let's consider the pros and cons of the policy
There are potential positive reasons to carry out this policy: if you believe these vaccines have value in people prone to hospitalization, this policy MIGHT increase compliance
There are potential downsides as well. Most obviously that the vaccine might not work well when you are still ill or make you worse. Now is not the time to further challenge the immune system.
When I was a kid and doctors used common sense, no doctor would carry out this policy. They would say: until you prove the benefits outright harms, I am skeptical
In 2026 since administrators run the hospital, they set all sorts of insipid policies and doctors dutifully carry it out.
A colleague tasked with enforcing this policy in pediatrics told me that a lot of parents ask questions like: is this safe? Is this necessary? The doctors are taught to lie: yes, we know it is safe.
I missed how they might know it.
The truth is the policy needs to be tested in a randomized trial powered for outcomes and until the moment that results as positive, it should be abandoned. Clearly in violation of common sense.
Common sense. Also, if you had to devise with a way to make people even MORE skeptical that these vaccines are just a way to generate revenue for big pharma and kickbacks for the doctors and hospitals that push them... you would devise this policy!
"Most obviously that the vaccine might not work well when you are still ill or make you worse." It doesn't work well when you are well. How could it work better when you are sick?