How close is herd immunity to a child aged 5 to 11 years when vaccinated?

Even if the United States could raise the vaccination rate Expert It claims that the diminished effectiveness of the vaccine against delta mutants and infections has pushed group immunity further out of reach.

Dr. Jefferson JonesDue to these factors, CDC COVID-19 Epidemiology Task Force medical personnel have found that determining herd immunity thresholds is “very complex.”

“It may not be possible to think that we can reach some kind of threshold that eliminates the transmission of the infection,” he says. Said last week Became a member of the CDC Vaccine Advisory Board.

One of the reasons why it is difficult to reach herd immunity is that current vaccines do not completely block coronavirus infection.

Fully vaccinated people Less likely to get infected with a virus If you are infected with the coronavirus, it is as easy to get infected as an unvaccinated person than an unvaccinated person.

Similarly, a person infected with COVID-19 can be re-infected with the virus and infect others.

According to a recent CDC, previously infected individuals were five times more likely to test positive for coronavirus than fully vaccinated individuals. study..

Another factor affecting herd immunity is reduced protection against infection in the months following vaccination.

However, some studies show that the vaccine will continue to provide Strong protection against severe illness..

Many experts expect the coronavirus to stay with us indefinitely — known as endemic.

However, the widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccine will reduce the impact of the virus on the country in the future.

“Even if herd immunity is not achieved with COVID-19 (when given the delta variant), high levels of vaccination can help prevent hospitalization and death. [the coronavirus that causes COVID-19] It’s moving towards fashion, “said Carlos Del Rio, a professor of medicine. Emory University School of Medicine, And his colleague JAMA..

Experts say that vaccination of children can still make a difference, even if the country does not reach herd immunity immediately.

“Children are usually less infected with COVID than adults, but children can still be hospitalized and have long-term consequences, so they are vaccinated to protect themselves. That’s really important. ” Dr. Sara Bode, A primary care pediatrician at a national children’s hospital and medical director of a school-based health and mobile clinic at the hospital.

Vaccination of children can also reduce the spread of the entire coronavirus community.

Dr. John BradleyData from the CDC and local monitoring of coronavirus cases indicate that the virus continues to spread to children aged 5 to 11 years, said the medical director of the Infectious Diseases Department at the Lady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.

“Children are a major and ongoing cause of active coronavirus infections in the community,” he said. “Once children get it, they can spread it to sensitive adults.”

Those at risk include the elderly, those with weakened immunity, and those with underlying medical conditions who are more likely to experience severe COVID-19.

And again, unvaccinated, One-third of Americans..

Recent data from the CDC show that unvaccinated people 11 times more likely to die From COVID-19 than fully vaccinated individuals.

Everyone who is vaccinated (children or adults) reduces the spread of the coronavirus. This reduces the likelihood that vulnerable individuals will be exposed to the virus.

According to Bradley, the number of adult influenza cases was particularly high when the American Academy of Pediatrics began recommending seasonal flu vaccines for children. senior citizen..

The effect may be similar to that of coronavirus.

“Vaccinations between the ages of 5 and 11 will accelerate the decline in the number of cases and are expected to eventually decline. [overall] incident [of the coronavirus]”Jeterina said. “This is a very welcome advance.”

According to Bradley, vaccination of school-aged children is also very socially active, such as going to parties, playing with backyards and sports teams, and playing at school. , Can have a big impact.

“Protecting a group of children in this school to prevent them from spreading [the coronavirus] Bradley, a prominent professor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, said:

Increasing vaccination rates in this age group requires work, given that about 7 out of 10 parents of young children are not ready to be vaccinated immediately.

Part of this is to make the vaccine accessible to all children.

The board may mean having a clinic near where the children live or attend school, or to ensure that the clinic is open at a time that is convenient for the child and parents. I said no.

But that may also mean ensuring that families have access to good health information and medical professionals who can answer their questions.

“Parents are asking really great questions, so we need to be patient,” Jeterina said. “We need to show them credible information so that they can make evidence-based decisions rather than fear-based decisions.”

The National Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with Columbus City School, provides evening briefings where families can ask questions about vaccines.

We also have an on-campus vaccine clinic for easy access to vaccinations. Children can be vaccinated with parental consent even if parents are unable to attend.

According to Board, one of the most important aspects of outreach is to think about the needs of each community and try to meet them in their current location.

“By partnering with local and trusted school officials, we can easily disseminate information and provide clinics at times when everyone can attend,” she said.

“It sets a great opportunity for families to feel comfortable. They are coming to a place they know.”