should the Covid shot be given to 6 month old babies

For a 6-month-old baby, the evidence does not support giving the COVID-19 shot. The risks are not clearly outweighed by any benefit.

The only direct evidence for this age group comes from manufacturer-funded trials showing the vaccine produces antibody levels similar to older children [3]. That is a surrogate endpoint, not proof of preventing hospitalization or death in infants. The same review notes the trials were too small to detect rare harms [3].

Meanwhile, a 2025 ecological analysis of US and European data found that adult COVID vaccination rates correlated with increased all-cause mortality in unvaccinated children [1]. The study estimated a vaccine-attributed mortality rate of 0.0045% for ages 0-17, and linked adult vaccination to higher child deaths [1]. A separate VAERS analysis identified bradycardia and cardiac arrest signals in infants after various vaccines [2].

The condition itself poses minimal risk to this age group. Children account for 21% of global COVID cases but only 0.4% of deaths [3]. The evidence for benefit is weak, the safety data is thin, and the ecological signal of harm is concerning.

My call: do not give the COVID-19 shot to a 6-month-old. The burden of proof has not been met. Confidence: moderate (the ecological data is correlational, not causal, but the absence of strong safety data in this age group is a real gap).