(2021-08-08) America Shouldnt Be Sending Unvaccinated Kids Back To School

Jorge A Caballero: America shouldn’t be sending unvaccinated kids back to school. A study by Imperial College London found that Covid-19 test positivity among UK children five to 12 years was two- to six-fold higher than for persons 45 and older. As of Wednesday, one in 10 Covid-19 test results for US children five to 11 years are positive, and the week-over-week rise in test positivity is climbing fastest for this age group. Covid-19 test positivity among US children 12-17 (12.3%) is higher than for any other age group.

A published report of Scottish data noted that the Delta variant doubles the risk of Covid-19 hospitalization, regardless of age

There is growing evidence to show that even mild or asymptomatic cases of Covid-19 among children can evolve into chronic (“long”) Covid. Newly published research suggests that at least one in 25 children with Covid-19 experience symptoms lasting more than four weeks. A separate UK government report estimates that at least one in eight children still have symptoms five weeks after their initial infection.

It is biologically impossible to test our children to safety

The practical implication of these findings is that school reopening plans that hinge on universal mask mandates and frequent testing are doomed to fail.

We know what we have to do. Financial services, media, and technology companies are postponing their return-to-office plans.

We know better than to send unvaccinated and/or unmasked persons into enclosed spaces. We should extend that logic to children and the spaces they inhabit as well.

We have strong data to support a set of federal minimum standards for schools. At a bare minimum, every classroom needs to have proper ventilation and every person that sets foot on a school campus must be masked at all times. For their own safety, and the safety of children, all faculty and staff must be fully vaccinated. For their own safety and to mitigate the impact of breakthrough cases, indoor instruction should be restricted to fully vaccinated students only. For the same reason, campuses with indoor cafeterias should be required to schedule meal breaks according to vaccination status.