Mayim Bialik says she will get flu and COVID-19 vaccines, clarifies she's not an anti-vaxxer
Mayim Bialik is setting the record straight about what she says has been an “inaccurate” internet rumors for years: She’s not an anti-vaxxer. In her latest YouTube video, Bialik has a lot to say about vaccines and she explains why she’ll be getting one for COVID-19 — when it’s available — and for the flu.
“This year I’m going to do something I literally haven’t done in 30 years,” Bialik, 44, begins, “I’m going to get a vaccine. I know! And guess what? I’m actually going to get two.”
Bialik continues, “Number one vaccine that I’m going to get is the COVID vaccine. I can’t wait for it, bring it on. Number two vaccine I’m gonna get: a flu vaccine. My 12 and 15 year old children have never received a flu vaccine. This year? Roll up them shirtsleeves boys, vaccines for everyone!”
In her 2012 book Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way, the actress revealed that her children did not follow a typical vaccine schedule. Bialik says this led to her being labeled an “anti-vaxxer” and notes the majority of “bad press” she received was false.
“I have never, not once, said that vaccines are not valuable, not useful or not necessary — because they are,” she tells her nearly 1 million subscribers.
Bialik explains that she delayed vaccinations for reasons “you don’t necessarily get to know about simply because you follow me on social media.”
The Blossom star, who earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience, launches into various reasons vaccines might not be right for some children, but doesn’t get too specific about her boys. However, she clarifies, “My children are vaccinated.”
“Now, do I think we give way too many vaccines in the country compared to when I was a child? Yes,” she adds.
“I generally believe the flu is manageable,” she says. “But I’m stacking the chips in our favor this year by making sure our immune system does not get extra compromised by what might be a harsh flu season and it might be a mild flu season. I want my immune system to have the best chance of fighting anything that comes its way, especially if that’s COVID.”
While Bialik usually relies on “herbs and supplements and plenty of rest to boost” her immune system, she feels the stress of 2020 requires an extra step.
“The increased stress and anxiety and depression that many of us are experiencing because of this quarantine — and the goings on in our country — my immune system is already pissed off,” she declares. “I’m playing it… as safe as I can this year and I don’t feel guilty about it.”
For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow along at https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus. According to experts, people over 60 and those who are immunocompromised continue to be the most at risk. If you have questions, please reference the CDC’s and WHO’s resource guides.