As students are heading back to school, there’s some concern from parents about the safety of their children as the Delta variant continues to make its way through the population. Gifford Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Josh White agrees that there should be concern since children under the age of 12 still do not have an opportunity to get vaccinated.
“The impact from COVID for any individual child is quite low, not zero, but low,” Dr. White said. “It’s something that a parent should be thinking about.”
Looking at the research, Dr. White believes we may not see a vaccine for youth 12 and under until sometime later this fall or winter, mostly due to the cautious approach of obtaining vaccine data and studies on children.
As far as booster shots, Dr. White says there shouldn’t be a panic to get one right now, though eventually, we’ll all need them. However, some individuals who meet certain health criteria may currently be eligible for one and should talk with their health care provider.
On a positive note, Dr. White suggests COVID surges should get smaller and smaller with lower impacts in areas where vaccinations are at a high rate. He says years from now COVID will be treated like influenza, with annual vaccines and small outbreaks.
