Friday’s announcement relaxes recommendations for social distance to 3 feet by 6 feet and relies heavily on schools using other measures, including universal masking and contact detection, Drs. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, said.
‘At first glance, the change of three meters distance for students in classrooms will be particularly challenging for large urban school districts and those who have not yet had access to the necessary resources to fully implement the COVID-19 mitigation measures that the CDC says it’s essential for safe personal education, no matter how far students are in classrooms, ‘she said.
Many officials and parents were eager to send students back to classes after a year of learning affected by a global pandemic. And while the increase in vaccinations has made people optimistic that the return to a sense of normalcy is near, health experts are worried that variants could cause a new upsurge.
And students under the age of 16 are unlikely to be eligible for several more months.
“We are so close to being able to ensure that all of our schools can be so much safer,” Pringle said. “But as public health officials have rightly warned, in the face of new variants and a race to make vaccinations widely available, this is not the time to alert us.”
The AFT said on Friday it would express ‘judgment’ on the change in guidelines until more information is available, but also expressed concern that the motivation would have been possible to accommodate schools without the space for six-foot distance rather than the scientific safety.
Low distribution in schools
The CDC said experts were persuaded to reduce distance due to the low levels of transfer in the school in three states.
The center on Friday published reports from Utah, Missouri and Florida showing that if students wear masks and take other measures to reduce transmission, the 6-foot distance does not matter as much.
In Florida, 60% of Covid-19 cases among students were not school-related, a team of researchers from CDC and Florida’s Department of Health reported. According to them, sports and social events are more dangerous than classrooms.
In Utah, a study found that 86% of students wear masks in classrooms at elementary schools, and very few have transmitted the virus to others.
“Despite a high prevalence in the community and an inability to evacuate students’ classrooms at a distance of six feet or more, this investigation found that the SARS-CoV-2 transmission is low and no school-related. outbreaks in 20 primary schools in Salt Lake County with the use and implementation of a high student mask. of various strategies to limit transfer, ”researchers wrote.
And in Missouri, where only 27% of schools could accommodate desks at a distance of 6 feet, a two-week survey found only two people infected someone else at the school, and in both cases it was just one other person.
Obstacles to normal
Meanwhile, experts say that two barriers stand in the way of achieving herd immunity – the variant and hesitation of vaccines.
“We have quite an opportunity to make clear what the benefits of vaccinations are. We know that these vaccines are really effective in preventing serious diseases. It significantly reduces your risk in each of these different types of situations, whether it is after going to the restaurant or gym, or to see family and friends. ‘
More than 23% of the U.S. population – more than 77.2 million people – have received at least one dose of vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among Americans 65 and older, more than 67% of the population received at least one dose.
According to CDC data, at least 118 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the US, and 100 million of them were reported during President Joe Biden’s tenure.
New variant more deadly and contagious, says Fauci
Rapid vaccination is more important than ever because the B.1.1.7 variant, first discovered in the UK, will become the dominant variant according to the CDC according to the CDC.
Research from earlier in the year suggests that vaccination may still provide protection against new variants.
Measurement such as mask use and social distance are also crucial, said dr. Anthony Fauci said during an information session in the White House, as the variant is more contagious and probably more deadly.
The B.1.1.7 variant has since been identified in 50 U.S. jurisdictions and is now likely to account for approximately 20 to 30% of infections in this country. And it is increasing, Fauci said.
According to British documentation, the variant is about 50% more transmissible than the original virus, Fauci said.
Because of the complications that variants offer, experts say that mass vaccination is necessary.
CNN’s Travis Caldwell, DJ Judd, Jen Christensen, Maggie Fox, Lauren Mascarenhas and Nick Neville contributed to this report.