Experts Request Parents To Take Preventive Steps To Protect Their Children

The cases of coronavirus are rising in children after thousands of them return to in-person schooling, numbers not reported since winter. As the threat surges, medical experts and health officials advise strict measures that protect children against the virus.

Hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the US surgeon, Dr. Vivek Murthy, said that if children are around vaccinated adults and if their families are vaccinated, their risk reduces significantly.

Experts Request Parents To Take Preventive Steps To Protect Their Children

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has laid out layers of protection in their classrooms, including buildings that are fully ventilated, regular testing, and masking up, said Dr. Vivek Murthy.

Murthy said that kids doing better doesn’t make COVID-19 benign, it doesn’t assure protection to children. He said that hundreds of children have succumbed to the virus in the country. He added that it is a common misconception that young people do not have to worry about the virus, and this factor hinders the vaccination rate in the country.

According to the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s data analysis by CNN, the highest infection rate was among teenagers of 16 and 17 years. The cases are soaring throughout and tearing through the immunity of people, with cases crossing 155,000.

It is becoming clearer every day that vaccination is the only way to protect people against the virus and several illnesses that may come with it. But as vaccines aren’t approved for children, the option is left.

The FDA has granted approval but only to people above 16 years, and children’s vaccines are still under emergency use authorization.

Dr. Vivek told Briana Keilar from CNN that the next group to receive eligibility for vaccination is children between 5 to 11 years of age. Murthy said that the FDA is planning on administering 28 million doses for children.

Meanwhile, Murthy emphasized steps to keep our children safe from the virus, especially against the delta variant.

As students are facing threats of catching the virus, stress over implementing more safety and preventive measures is essential before entering the new academic year. According to an analysis by CNN, throughout nearly fifteen Florida schools, more than 2,984 staff members and 14,746 students have tested COVID-19 positive.

Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis prohibited any mandates on masks and vaccination. Many districts in Florida have defied this law and chose to impose measures anyway. On Friday, a judge overruled Governor’s orders and said that DeSantis didn’t have the power to prevent these measures.

In Georgia’s Henry County, six schools are conducting virtual learning remotely because of the continuous increase in cases in people that need to be quarantined.

Officials of New York City have announced changes for the new school year beginning that will extend the policy of quarantining based on vaccination rates.

Meisha Ross Porter, the Chancellor of the City Department of Education along with Mayor Bill de Blasio, said that they’ll subject unvaccinated students to isolation if they turn out positive.

De Blasio said that the important point to remember is that adults or children who are vaccinated and not symptomatic, will stay in school.

The surge in COVID-19 cases has overburdened American hospitals with more than 100,000 severe cases and there is a huge lack of medical staff. Stretched thin, several Georgian hospitals are requesting ambulance transport and medical facilities.

There is a heavy shortage of ICU beds in Illinois, especially in southern and central regions, said Dr. Ngozi Ezike from the Department of Public Health. Governor JB Pritzker said that all the hospitalized people are unvaccinated.