Fox News helps embattled school nurse spread her bogus claim that vaccines and masks are riskier for kids than COVID-19

A school nurse who was suspended for refusing to wear a mask on the job told Fox News that children faced more risk from vaccines than the deadly coronvavirus.

Erin Pein, a nurse for Stafford Public Schools in Connecticut, questioned mask orders and other public health guidance during an appearance Monday morning on "Fox & Friends."

"I say that is ridiculous," Pein said. "We already know that this virus does not affect children the same way as it effects adults, and children, from 0 to 20 years old, are 99. 97 percent, you know, unaffected by COVID, which means they can survive it at that rate, and if they do get it, they will have mild symptoms."

"We know that the risk from this vaccine and the risk from continued mask use is more detrimental than the actual virus to these children," she added.

The Food and Drug Administration last week approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 12 to 15, and there have been no severe side effects or risks observed for that age group.