NBC NEWS- Delta and vaccinated parents: What people with kids under 12 need to know

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What vaccinated parents should know about the delta variant and kids under 12

Delta and vaccinated parents: What people with kids under 12 need to know​ Children are heading back to school soon, forcing parents to make tough decisions on how to handle a different kind of risk environment. Which activities are relatively safe, and which ones should be skipped? Here’s how experts weigh the risks. Aug. 4, 2021, 9:44 AM -05 / Updated Aug. 4, 2021, 2:39 PM -05 By Denise Chow With coronavirus cases rising across the country and the highly contagious delta variant spreading in every state, many parents have been left wondering how best to keep their children safe, particularly when it comes to kids under 12 who are not yet eligible for vaccination. Most schools are set to welcome students back in person in the coming weeks, but many aren't requiring them to wear masks. And as people look to plan last-minute vacations, set up play dates for their kids or attend other events, weighing the potential risks is challenging because many families are juggling different vaccination statuses within their own ranks. "There are no easy answers, only tough trade-offs in so many situations," said Lindsey Leininger, a public health scientist and clinical professor at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business. She said the best way to protect kids who are currently too young to get vaccinated is for everyone else in the household who is eligible to get the shots. After that, decisions should be guided by what's happening in individual communities and each family's comfort level, she added. "The first thing that's always top of mind is the level of circulating disease in my community, because if the community is on fire, that really drives everything that I do," said Leininger, who has two children under 12. "If you're sitting in Vermont with low circulating disease and 80 percent of adults are vaccinated, it's not the same calculus as if you’re sitting in New Orleans and hospitals are overflowing." Which activities are relatively safe, and which ones should be skipped? Here's how Leininger and other experts weigh the risks. Is it safe for kids to go back to school?​ Many experts agree that the overall benefits of in-person learning outweigh the risks, but for families with kids under 12 who are unvaccinated, decisions about what to do for the upcoming school year may be more complicated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all school children wear masks in the fall, but not all schools have imposed mask mandates and many say they can't — or won't — enforce such rules. Emergency authorization for Covid vaccines in children under 12 could come in early to midwinter, but until then, some families may feel that virtual learning is a more suitable option, said Dr. Danny Benjamin, a professor of pediatrics at the Duke University School of Medicine. That largely depends on the needs of the individual child, as well as the resources available to parents, he added. Working parents, for instance, may not be able to support online learning, and some children may fare better in classroom settings. "At our house, we will probably grit our teeth and send our younger children to school, but a very reasonable family could look at this and say they want to keep their child out until Christmastime, until the vaccines get here," he said. Nearly 4.2 million children have been diagnosed with Covid-19, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, representing more than 14 percent of all cases. At least 340 children, ages 17 and younger, have died from Covid, according to the latest CDC data, but serious complications in young people are considered extremely rare. "We can't say that about other age groups, but we can say that about kids when we look at the data," Leininger said. "So there is some reassurance that for the vast majority of kids, we're dealing with a much smaller risk." But while young children are generally less vulnerable to Covid than older age groups and those with underlying conditions, kids can get sick. And as the delta variant continues to spread, cases among young children, including severe ones, are expected to increase, said Dr. Rachael Lee, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It's not yet well understood if the delta variant is more dangerous for young children, or if kids are more susceptible to this strain compared to others who are unvaccinated, but doctors have reported a steady increase of Covid cases in children and medical experts have warned about the ongoing dangers of the virus. Lee added that concerned parents can try to advocate for better mitigation measures in their school districts, including pushing for mask requirements, emphasizing more time outdoors and inquiring about ventilation improvements in classrooms. (Continued)​

 

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