What is the best way to protect school-aged children from COVID? : Goat and SodaExBulletin

In Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, children wear KN95 masks for children.

Tiffany Huggler-Geard / Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Tiffany Huggler-Geard / Bloomberg via Getty Images

In Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, children wear KN95 masks for children.

Tiffany Huggler-Geard / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Every week, we answer frequently asked questions about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have any questions that you would like us to consider in future posts, please email us at: [email protected] The subject is “Weekly Coronavirus Questions”. See FAQ archive here..

If a child is vaccinated and infected with COVID, does the child really need a mask?

Most recently infected children also Vaccination must have a strong enough immune response To protect them From getting a COVID for more than a few weeks Dr. Abral KaranStanford University Infectious Disease Specialist.

Vaccination combination When Infection with COVID provokes stronger immunity than either, he said in an email. “Of course, if your immunity is weak, [the decision not to mask] It gets more complicated and parents need to talk to their doctor. ”

However, in general, recent infections and vaccinations increase the risk of very low COVID, so the additional benefits of masks are negligible. Cima camelAssociate Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, specializing in potentially pandemic respiratory viruses.

“If a new variant emerges that doesn’t care much about recent Omicron infections,” it could change next year. Dr. Emily LandonInfectious disease specialist and chief hospital epidemiologist at the University of Chicago School of Medicine.

But for now, if a vaccinated child recently recovers from COVID, the choice of masking is up to you and your child, unless you violate your obligations.

Many parents in this situation choose to cover up their children “because they are part of the social contract of all of us trying to overcome this together,” says Rakdawara. She points out that if one child stops wearing a mask at school, another child may decide to opt out.

If you and your child decide to stop masking, make sure your child does not pressure your classmates to take them off.

“If your child is the only person who does not wear a mask and they are trying to encourage other children not to wear a mask, it may be best for them. [mask]”She says. “It’s not okay, so it’s really important to talk to your child in the mask option settings about not trying to influence others and being really tolerant of what they need. . ”

So, if I don’t want elementary school kids to get a COVID, what’s the best way to protect them?

First, get the vaccine aged 5-12, doctors and experts say.in the investigation Published online on Wednesday, Israeli scientists have found that vaccinated children are half as likely to be infected with COVID as unvaccinated children. However, this protection was short-term. About five months later, the prevalence of vaccinated teens and unvaccinated teens was about the same.

Even if case rates are plummeting in some areas, a multi-layered strategy is still needed. Rakdawara compares the situation to the battlefield.

“If we are at war with the virus, the vaccine is our armor,” she says. “It helps us get beaten badly, but it doesn’t help us win, so a mask as a shield that helps us block the virus, and then the other we fight back. Method-We also need a method like how to ventilate and clean the air — as a sword. “

Parents have their own school The latest information on ventilation and air purification system. According to Rakdawara, this could include opening doors and windows during certain times when the classroom is the busiest, or using a portable air purifier or built-in air filtration system. .. Teachers wearing masks can also dent transmissions in the classroom.according to To research from Germany Announced in December, teachers wearing masks at school were a more effective strategy for reducing virus infections than students wearing masks.

“Everyone wants their children to go to school, learn safely and interact,” says Rakdawara. “Therefore, we need to continue to consider all the ways to mitigate risk in all environments.”

And what about children’s masks?

Many experts have We recommend upgrading to a high filtration respirator During the Omicron surge. That’s right These respiratory organs (N95s, KN95s, KF94s) It may be the only mask that is useful against Omicron.

N95 masks cannot be used for children, but KN95 and KN94 can. Such masks can help children in situations that require additional attention. For example, Landon advises that if your child’s environment includes time spent with people at high risk of COVID complications, keep that person in mind when making masking decisions.

“If their best friend has type 1 diabetes and has recently been fighting some infections, or has primary immunodeficiency and must receive an immunoglobulin infusion, your child will have [extra careful]“If your child wants to stay friends with that child, they always need to wear a mask,” she says.

However, for many families, KN95 or KN94 is not a viable option. They are much more expensive than cloth and surgical masks and are less reusable than cloth masks. What’s more, children need to wear a mask consistently to make it effective.

Sheila Mulrooney Eldred is a freelance health journalist in Minneapolis. She writes about COVID-19 for many publications, including: New York TimesKaiser Health News, Medscape and Washington post..Click here for details sheilaeldred.pressfolios.com.. On Twitter: @milepostmedia..