Make-a-Wish reverses ban on unvaccinated kids; charity now states it 'will not require anyone to get vaccinated to receive a wish'

Make-a-Wish has reversed its ban on granting wishes to unvaccinated children and their families.

What are the details?

A viral video surfaced last week of Make-a-Wish president and CEO Richard Davis saying the charity will "resume granting air-travel wishes within the United States and its territories, as well as granting wishes involving large gatherings for vaccinated wish families, as soon as Sept. 15 of 2021."

Make-a-Wish stopped granting wishes involving air travel in early 2020 amid the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Davis added in the video that "all wish participants, including your wish kid and any siblings, will need to be two weeks past completion of either a one-dose or a two-dose vaccine."

And while Make-a-Wish said it would not require vaccination proof, Davis also said in the clip that all adults must sign a "letter of understanding that certifies that they and any minors participating in the wish are vaccinated and understand the risks of traveling at this time."

As you can imagine, reaction against Make-a-Wish's move was swift and severe, with commenters calling it everything from "utterly vile" to "absolutely disgusting."

Reversal

But on Sunday, Make-a-Wish released a statement saying the charity is reversing the decision, noting that it now "will not require anyone to get vaccinated to receive a wish."

"We understand that there are many families whose children aren't eligible for the vaccine yet, and we also know that there are families who are choosing to not get the vaccine," the statement also read. "We respect everyone's freedom of choice. Make-a-Wish will continue to grant wishes for all eligible children."

Anything else?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends COVID-19 vaccination for those 12 years of age and older. However, the World Health Organization notes that "children and adolescents tend to have milder disease compared to adults, so unless they are part of a group at higher risk of severe COVID-19, it is less urgent to vaccinate them than older people, those with chronic health conditions and health workers."

The WHO adds that "more evidence is needed on the use of the different COVID-19 vaccines in children to be able to make general recommendations on vaccinating children against COVID-19."