Newsletter

What You Need to Know

- If you’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19, you’ve taken the first step toward protecting yourself and your family and returning to activities you did before the pandemic.

- Some family members may still need to take steps to protect themselves against COVID-19, such as children too young to get vaccinated or people with weakened immune systems.

How can I protect my unvaccinated child?

These are the best ways to protect your child, or a child you care for, who cannot get vaccinated yet:

- Get vaccinated yourself. COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of people getting and spreading COVID-19.

- If your child is 2 years and older, make sure that your child wears a mask in public settings and takes other actions to protect themselves.

To set an example, you also might choose to wear a mask.

- If your child is younger than 2 years or cannot wear a mask, limit visits with people who are not vaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown and keep distance between your child and other people in public.

How do I protect a family member with a weakened immune system?

- Get vaccinated yourself. COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of people getting and spreading COVID-19.

- People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken their immune system may NOT be protected even if they are fully vaccinated. They should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people, including wearing a well-fitted mask, until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider.

My family members aren’t vaccinated. How do I protect them?

- Get vaccinated yourself. COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of people getting and spreading COVID-19.

- Any family member who is not fully vaccinated should keep taking steps to protect themselves and others, like wearing a well-fitted mask and staying 6 feet from others in public.

Are some activities safer than others?

- If you are not fully vaccinated and aged 2 or older, you should wear a mask in indoor public places.

- In general, you do not need to wear a mask in outdoor settings. In areas with high numbers of COVID-19 cases, consider wearing a mask in crowded outdoor settings and for activities with close contact with others who are not fully vaccinated.

- People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken their immune system may NOT be protected even if they are fully vaccinated. They should continue to take all precautions recommended for unvaccinated people, including wearing a well-fitted mask, until advised otherwise by their healthcare provider.

Information provided by: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus

Back to school has always caused feelings of anxiety and excitement, but these days, those feelings could be much stronger. With uncertainty of what the future holds for our children with Covid 19 variants, it’s difficult to know what to do. From masks, to vaccines, there seem to be more questions than answers. So what’s a parent to do? Talk with your child about how school will look different (e.g., desks spaced apart, teachers maintaining physical distance, etc). Once school is in session, speak with your child about how school is going and about interactions with classmates and teachers. Find out how they’re feeling and communicate that what they are feeling is normal, but anticipate behavior changes.

Parents should expect interruptions to in-person school when Covid cases surge. Studies have shown that risk to students increases as community transmission rates rise and when schools relax Covid restrictions. Fortunately, schools haven’t been a major cause of Covid spreading, particularly when prevention measures are in place. Although parents are questioning whether they can safely send their kids back to school, public health experts say that, in most cases, risks associated with keeping kids home appears to be higher than the risk of complications from Covid-19 in young people.

- Kristine Dodge

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