Biden reassures child with COVID-19 fears: ‘I wouldn’t worry about it, baby’

President Biden late Tuesday reassured a child with fears about contracting COVID-19, saying “I wouldn’t worry about it, baby.” 

Jessica Salas, a graphic designer from Milwaukee, told the president during a CNN town hall that her two children, including her 8-year-old daughter who appeared with her, often ask if they will get infected with COVID-19 and “if they do, will they die.”

Biden addressed the second-grader directly in his response.

“Kids don’t get COVID very often,” he said. “It’s unusual for that to happen. The evidence so far is children aren’t the people most likely to get COVID.”

“So you’re the safest group of people in the whole world, number one,” the president added. “Number two, you’re not likely to be able to be exposed to something and spread it to mommy or daddy. And it’s not likely mommy and daddy are able to spread it to you either. So I wouldn’t worry about it, baby. I promise you.”

Salas had told Biden that her children were asking when they could get the coronavirus vaccine as the Food and Drug Administration has authorized  the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for those 16 and older and the Moderna vaccine for those 18 and older. 

“We haven’t even done tests yet on children as to whether or not the certain vaccines would work or not work or what is needed,” Biden said.

President Biden reassures second-grader about Covid during CNN town hall: “Don’t be scared, you’re going to be fine, and we’re going to make sure mommy’s fine, too” #BidenTownHall https://t.co/J7VHUVX8RU pic.twitter.com/kg5uQWmlUL

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 17, 2021

The president also asked the second-grader if she has attended school in-person, to which the child replied, “No.”

“See that’s kind of a scary thing too,” Biden said. “You don’t get to go to school. You don’t get to see your friends. And so what a lot of kids, and I mean big people too and older people … their whole lives have sort of changed like when it used to be.”

“Don’t be scared, honey,” he said. “Don’t be scared. You’re going to be fine, and we’re going to make sure mommy’s fine, too.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has documented that less than 0.2 percent of COVID-19 deaths have occurred among those under 18 in the country. A total of 11.3 percent of confirmed cases were found among that age group.