The New York Times
You have been vaccinated. Your children are not. What now?
WE HAVE MADE QUESTIONS ON PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES TO ANSWER A PAYMENT OF YOUR FAVORITE QUESTIONS. As more parents are vaccinated in front of their children, some families find themselves with questions that apparently have no clear answers: Is it ultimately OK to have indoor play dates? Can we take summer vacations or fly planes? What if my children are at high risk? If this new and confusing reality has contributed to your stress, you are not alone. “It really brought up a lot of new anxiety, this process of reopening, re-engaging in social interactions after a year of trying to avoid it,” said Malia Jones, a community health scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The vaccines apparently delivered a promising way out of the pandemic, she said, “but also, oh my God, we need to renegotiate every situation.” Sign up for The Morning Newsletter of the New York Times. The good news is that there are ways to think about the most common questions asked by families, based on federal guidance and what we know about Covid-19 risks, experts said. But keep in mind that what is right for one family may not be right for you. ‘If you judge the risk, it’s not’ yes’ or ‘no’. It is a framework, ”said dr. Lucy McBride, an Internal Medicine Physician in Washington, DC, FIRST SAID, WHEN CAN I EXPECT MY CHILD TO CENTER? No one knows for sure when vaccines are available for all children. The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine has been approved for use in children 16 years of age and older, but no coronavirus vaccines have yet been approved for those who are younger. Late last month, however, Pfizer-BioNTech announced promising results from a clinical trial in young people and found that the vaccine was very effective in children between 12 and 15. It is difficult to predict how long the rest of the clinical trials and approval processes will last. expensive, but dr. James Conway, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health who oversees vaccination programs there, said it is likely that vaccines will be available to 12- to 15-year-olds this summer, for 5- to 11-year-olds at the end of 2021, and for babies older than 6 months, toddlers and toddlers in early 2022. CAN WE SOCIALIZE WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY WHO IS FAVORED? If you are a parent who has been fully vaccinated (that is, it has been at least two weeks since you received the second dose of two-dose vaccine, or two weeks since you received a single-dose vaccine), guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is safe to spend time indoors, unmasked, with a small group of other people fully vaccinated. The CDC did not define what a small gathering is, although public health officials usually restricted private indoor gatherings to ten people during the pandemic. If your children are in the area and they want to visit indoors and unmask, with vaccinated friends or family members, such as grandparents, it is safe for them to do so, as long as someone who is not vaccinated comes from a single household and does not have a high risk of complications. CAN WE SOCIALIZE WITH OTHERS WHO DO NOT EAT? If your children are not vaccinated, they should not mix indoors and without masks with people who have not been vaccinated outside their household, as there is a risk that they may transmit Covid-19 to each other and to others, said Dr. McBride said. An exception to this rule would be if families together have formed a pod in which they are with each other and no one else. “However, we are seeing so many impacts on the mental health of Covid-19 on our children – such as anxiety and depression and isolation and loneliness,” says Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, a pediatrician at Northwestern Medicine. It is therefore important for families to find ways to balance the two safely. “You can definitely make an appointment with other families,” said Dr. Jones said. “You just have to take the same precautions.” Hold meetings outside if you can, encourage physical distance and ideally wear masks. “We are not yet at a point where we can keep indoor play dates without masks among children who have not been vaccinated,” she said. Is it safe to travel with or without my children? Now that many adults are being vaccinated, families are understandably feeling the itch to travel again – and even go on holiday. If you are fully vaccinated and want to travel without your children, it is safe to do so within the United States according to the CDC guidelines, and you do not have to be tested before or after your trip, or return self-quarantine. The chance that you will contract Covid-19 and then pass it on to others, including your family. But what if you want to travel with your unvaccinated children? This is a more difficult question, but experts believe it can be done safely, as long as you take certain precautions. “It’s not out of the question to go on family vacations during the summer,” said Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Safety. Before planning your trip, check with the state and local health departments to see if there are any travel restrictions for where you live or wherever you are along the route. If you have a child with certain medical conditions that may increase the risk of complications due to Covid-19, you can first discuss your travel plans with your pediatrician. Unvaccinated children should receive a Covid-19 test one to three days before travel and three to five days after return. They must also be self-quarantined seven days after the trip (even if their test result is negative). While traveling, everyone (except children under 2) should still wear masks in public, where possible stay six meters away from others, wash hands or use hand sanitizer and avoid crowds. If your children can tolerate it, suggest dr. Rivers in front, leave them double mask during plane rides with a surgical mask at the bottom and a cloth mask on top. CAN WE EAT INDOORS OR BACK TO THE GYM? If you are fully vaccinated, the CDC said you can resume activities such as eating indoors in restaurants or going to the gym; and it is OK that you will enjoy these activities if you have children who have not been vaccinated at home, said dr. Jones said. But keep in mind that these are still some of the highest risk institutions, and although it is highly unlikely that a vaccinated parent would bring the virus home, it is still best to avoid these places if they are overcrowded and wearing masks and bodily distance if possible. It is also best not to take your vaccinated children with you when doing such activities, experts said, because they may be exposed to Covid-19 and spread it within the community. At restaurants, for example, you can not eat with a mask, and the restaurants will be full of other people who have an unknown vaccine status, ‘said dr. Jones said. (It is much better to eat outdoors, if possible.) Take a deep breath – these decisions are difficult. It can be difficult for parents to turn their heads around the fact that Covid-19 – which can cause serious and sometimes fatal complications in adults – is usually mild in children and teens, causing symptoms that are often no worse than those of colds. not. if they have any symptoms. “Children on average experience mild or even asymptomatic illnesses,” Dr. Rivers said. Some children are at greater risk for serious Covid-19 disease than others. These include children and adolescents with underlying medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, congenital heart disease, a suppressed immune system or certain genetic, neurological or metabolic conditions such as Down syndrome. Most high-risk children still do OK when they get Covid-19, but parents may want to discuss the safety of different scenarios with their pediatricians, said Dr. Carmin Powell, a pediatrician at Stanford Medicine, said. Remember that there is no one-time approach. Weigh the pros and cons and make decisions that suit your family. ‘If people choose to stay conservative, it’s not wrong. And if people choose to be a little flexible, it’s not wrong either, ‘said Dr. Rivers said. “It’s hard, but I think it’s good that we’re experiencing these problems because it means things are improving.” This article originally appeared in The New York Times. © 2021 The New York Times Company