Surgeon General Questions Matt McConaughey After He Says He May Not Get Kids COVID Vaccine

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In light of Matthew McConaughey, 52, saying that he might not have his children get vaccinated against COVID-19, the United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, 44, reiterated how children can still be vulnerable to the virus in an interview with CNN on Tuesday November 9. The Dallas Buyers Club actor had expressed some hesitance about vaccinating his kids in a discussion with Andrew Ross Sorkin for The New York Times’ “Dealbook Online Summit.”

During The Times discussion, Matt was discussing vaccine mandates, while floating the possibility that he might make a run for governor in Texas. He said that he’s vaccinated along with his wife Camila Alves, his mom, and oldest child. Also, the actor claimed to be taking the virus seriously and “quarantined harder than any of our friends have.” Still, he didn’t have immediate plans for his own kids, although he did shut down people who have refused to take the vaccine due to conspiracy theories. “There’s not a conspiracy theory on the vaccines. These are scientists trying to do the right thing,” he said. “Right now, I’m not vaccinating mine. I’ll tell you that.” The Dazed and Confused star said he wasn’t in favor of a vaccine mandate for children. “I couldn’t mandate having to vaccinate the younger kids. I still want to find out more information,” he told The Times, noting that his family “go[es] slow on vaccinations, even before COVID.”

In response to Matt’s hesitance, the surgeon general stated that when the vaccine was first made available to adults, there was also some skepticism, but people began getting vaccinated more, as they could discuss it with their doctors or see their loved ones get it. Murthy stressed how COVID can still be a risk to kids, including those who are ages 5 to 11 that just became vaccine eligible “Covid is not harmless in our children,” he said. “Many kids have died. Sadly, hundreds of children — thousands — have been hospitalized, and as a dad of a child who has been hospitalized several years ago for another illness, I would never wish upon any parent they have a child that ends up in the hospital.”

Murthy also pointed to the vaccine’s 90 percent effective rate in protecting kids and how safe it is, despite mild side effects. “Please consider strongly getting your children vaccinated,” he said. “Talk to your doctor. Consult credible health sources, and recognize that this is our opportunity to protect our kids and to get them back to so many of the things they missed.