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Case rates are still high in many parts of St. Louis. What should parents consider as kids go back to school? If you have a child with fever or cold symptoms, keep them home until they can get tested, and touch base with school about when they can return. Testing is now widely available at urgent cares and pediatricians’ offices. The CDC’s latest guidance of masking for unvaccinated kids and staff, distancing, excluding symptomatic kids, and encouraging testing and quarantining is part of the goal to get kids back to in-person learning as safely as possible.
Are you seeing any differences in more recent Delta variant cases? The variant is not targeting children, but it’s hitting unvaccinated people, who are largely children. Given that, you should consider getting the vaccine if you’re 12 and older, to protect your household. If you’re a parent and not vaccinated, you should really consider it.
Many students are entering the classroom for the first time in 18 months. What’s different than last fall? The main thing that I encourage is to get kids above age 12 vaccinated. For kids under 12, wear masks while indoors at school, and stay home if you’re sick.
Should kids wear masks outside to play when they’re in large groups at school? There’s no recent guidance from the CDC regarding outdoors. The most recent [outdoor] sports guidance is to wear masks when possible, when not in strenuous activity, and maintain distance when possible.
What is the latest advice for vaccinating breastfeeding moms? There haven’t been big trials in pregnant and breastfeeding women, but a lot of pregnant and breastfeeding women have gotten vaccinated, and it has been very safe in those populations. The additional advantage of getting vaccinated if you’re breastfeeding is once you have developed antibodies, those can be passed through breast milk and provide protection to your child.
What about vaccinating children younger than age 12 once emergency authorization of the vaccine becomes available? Presuming the safety and the effectiveness is the same in younger kids as we’ve seen in older kids and adults, then yes, the recommendation would be to [vaccinate].
How much has your job changed in regard to combating misinformation and educating parents? It's not really that different from what we've been doing in the internet age for any condition, even pre-COVID. Parents will look up things about their child's symptoms or diagnosis, and what I always tell people is, “Look at that stuff, and then come talk to me.” Because some of it is really good information, and some of it's not as good. It’s our job as physicians to help families sort through that.
