Matthew McConaughey is clarifying comments he made about the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for children.
Earlier this week, the 52-year-old actor made headlines after saying he wanted to "find out more information" before supporting requirements for kids to be vaccinated, but on Wednesday McConaughey suggested in an Instagram post that his remarks were taken out of context.
"When asked my opinion on the subject of children and vaccination mandates I stated, 'I couldn't mandate it for kids just yet.' What was not clear is that I was referring specifically to the 5-11-year-old mandate," he explained in a statement on his Instagram Stories.
"What is NOT true, and insinuated with the clickbait headlines since, is that I am against vaccinating children at all," McConaughey, who is fully vaccinated, continued. "This is false. In fact, our eldest 13-year-old son Levi is fully vaccinated for COVID-19."
McConaughey, who shares sons Levi, 13, and Livingston, 8, as well as daughter Vida, 11, with his wife Camila, said on Tuesday during The New York Times's DealBook summit that they had chosen to "go slow" on vaccinating their children, even before COVID, according to People.
"I couldn't mandate having to vaccinate the younger kids. I still want to find out more information," he said. "There's gonna come a time, though — and there has already in these last two years, obviously — there'll come a time where you're gonna have to roll the dice one way or the other and go, where are the numbers in my favor? I'm vaccinated. Wife's vaccinated ... We're over here just trying to live as healthy a lifestyle as possible, but I couldn't mandate it for kids just yet."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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