Millions of American parents have now been partially or completely vaccinated against COVID-19. But for millions of children, the prospect is still far away.
While many teens 16 years and older are now able to vaccinate – and new data from Pfizer suggests that the vaccine is safe and extremely effective in children as young as 12 – we are probably months away from the big posters that have their sleeves oprol.
“It’s more likely that the majority of children will not be vaccinated until the end of this year, or at the beginning of next year,” said Steven Abelowitz, a pediatrician at Coastal Kids Pediatrics in Orange County, California. However, he stressed that even the best guesses are ‘all speculation’.
This means that parents have to be in a strange time for a long time when they suddenly have much more protection, but their children do not. Here are some basics to keep in mind when using the new one (new new?) normal.
Know first that for children nothing has really changed.
It may feel very different to be vaccinated yourself, but remember that the precautions for COVID-19 for children and other non-vaccinated people have not changed in the past few months, Abelowitz said.
Children still need to protect themselves by wearing face masks, avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces and washing their hands – basically everything we have heard and hopefully done in the past year. One small change: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says 3 feet of physical distance is sufficient to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in schools.
But it is now safe to spend time with vaccinated family members.
An area where there has a single change is federal recommendations on how children are able to communicate with fully vaccinated people outside their households.
People who have been fully vaccinated can now spend indoors – and unmasked – with those who have not yet done so, as long as the individuals who have not been vaccinated (in this case children) are not at high risk for severe COVID-19 complications not. to the CDC.
This means that if your child has a loved one in their life who has been fully vaccinated, they can hang out indoors without you having to worry about them catching the virus. (Of course, no one can say that there is no risk, but the risk is low, especially now that the CDC says there is ample evidence that people who have been fully vaccinated are unlikely to transmit the virus.)
This is probably very welcome news for many grandparents, aunts and uncles and caregivers – and the children who love it.
Their * mathematical * risk of catching COVID-19 is lower.
To be clear: you are not vaccinated direct affects your child’s own risk of getting COVID-19 unless you happen to be breastfeeding, in which case there is increasing evidence that breastfeeding parents do pass on antibodies.
So if your children are exposed to COVID-19 at school or someone who is infected during a flight after a family holiday coughs on your children, your vaccination does not help anything to keep them healthy.
That said, when parents or caregivers are vaccinated, it affects – in a more surrounding way – the risk level of children.
“What we have learned through the vast majority of epidemiological studies is that children are infected through their domestic contact,” said David Cennimo, an expert on infectious diseases at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. “So if parents are vaccinated, it is highly unlikely that they will bring COVID home.”
‘On a total mathematical equation of’ how do they protect? ” He continued, ‘they are much more protected now that you have the vaccine. ‘
However, we are nowhere near the point where immunity with herds offers more direct protection.
Do you want to reduce your child’s risk? Ask about the vaccination status.
Are you planning play dates? Are you thinking of family trips? Are you considering camp or outdoor programs? The same basic principles that have led to risk benefit analyzes so far during the pandemic. Outdoor settings are less risky than indoor settings. Larger spaces are better than smaller spaces. Being in a small group (or not a group at all) is safer than being in a large group.
But one thing has changed: now you should definitely ask people about their vaccination status, which can be a difficult conversation.
“If I had a child and they were going for a play date, I want to know: Were the adults vaccinated in the household?” Cennimo said. “Because if so, the probability that there is COVID in that household is so much lower.”
Know that if you find it difficult to get through, then you are not alone. There are no easy answers, and parents will still have to make decisions that feel good to them.
Parents should also have the power to consider the potential benefits of reconnecting with their children or simply having fun, Cennimo said. That’s all you need to know.
“People need to think about their comfort levels and, within the guidance given, really put their activity at ease,” he said.