Austin Beutner, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, said Monday that students should receive the vaccine as soon as it is available before returning to the classroom, according to a report.
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The Los Angeles Times reported that Beutner compared the move to how schools already need vaccinations for measles and mumps. He said he hopes all students in the system will be vaccinated by January 2022.
The newspaper reported that he made the remarks during a pre-arranged information session and told parents who are skeptical about the vaccine that the option is that a child can continue to learn online and therefore not have to go to campus again ‘.
The Pfizer vaccine, which was approved in the United States last month, is for people 16 years and older. Tests began in October in children as young as 12 and are expected to last a few more months. The Food and Drug Administration will have to decide when there is enough information to allow emergency use in this age group.
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Dr. Robert Frenck, the lead researcher on Pfizer’s study in children at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, told the Associated Press in December that although children do not usually get very sick from COVID-19, they can spread the virus to others.
At least 1.6 million youths have been infected, 8,000 have been hospitalized and 162 have died from the virus, he noted.
The Times pointed out that Beutner did not suggest that schools remain closed until all children are vaccinated.
Associated Press contributed to this report