This traces to a real March 2026 AAP News article by two anesthesiologists, Caroline Pasquariello (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) and Kim Strupp (Children's Hospital Colorado). It describes a Colorado program, started in October 2020, that gives routine vaccines to children who are already under general anesthesia or deep sedation for a surgery or procedure, mainly children who can't tolerate a shot while awake. The "more than 18,000" figure is the number of patients the article reports as vaccinated. Colorado Free Press, reprinting Jon Fleetwood, says the article confirms it, but The High Wire had counted more than 7,000 doses through February 2024, so the two figures measure different things. Healio reported in 2021 that 1,063 children had been vaccinated in about 25 weeks and that no vaccine-related complications were reported.
What the post gets right: the program exists, the number appears in the AAP piece, and the authors discuss a real problem. A vaccine's fever can look like a surgical complication, and anesthesiologists don't agree on timing. The program descriptions also say parents give permission, which the zerohedge post leaves out.
What it overstates: the word "unconscious" suggests secret injections. The sources describe sedated children getting vaccines during procedures, with consent, and I found no reported harm. Whether that consent and the billing are handled well is a fair question for hospital ethics boards and families. The AAP article is paywalled, so read its abstract or the hospital's policy before drawing firm conclusions.
🕒 As of October 2026
