A new peer-reviewed study in the journal JAMA finding traces of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine material in breast milk has created a social media thunderstorm. On one end is what seems to be utter silence—no comments from those who went on public television and urged everyone to get vaccinated. Among those who have been skeptical from the start, this study appears to prove we have a medical disaster on our hands with potentially catastrophic implications.
Even when skeptics have been misled, discriminated against, and marginalized by those in power, it’s crucial to remain rational and clinical. It’s an admittedly difficult task given the understandable feelings of betrayal and exasperation.
The truth is, this study prompts far more questions than it answers. The design was far from comprehensive, leaving extraordinary uncertainty. For one, the sample in the study is incredibly small: a mere 11 women. Anyone with a basic understanding of statistics will know it’s nearly impossible to make definitive population-level extrapolations based on a handful of participants.