Children who cannot get COVID-19 vaccine urged to continue wearing masks
CHICAGO - Those who have not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine are urged to keep wearing masks and that includes kids who are too young to get the shot.
As summer camp season approaches and in-person learning is just around the corner, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging unvaccinated kids to still mask up.
"As a parent and a physician, I fully trust the CDC and the FDA to do their due diligence in ensuring what we're doing for children is safe," said Dr. Larry Kociolek of Lurie Children’s Hospital.
But it can be confusing for parents who have trusted the science.
According to the CDC, children make up less than 10-percent of COVID-19 cases in the United States. Compared with adults, when kids do contract the virus they typically never develop symptoms.
Dr. Kociolek agrees with the mask mandate for unvaccinated kids.
"The larger your bubble, the more people that you are in contact with that are also unvaccinated, that also increases your risk," he said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends unvaccinated children 2-years-old and up continue to wear masks indoors when they are around others, especially when those people are over the age of 65.
All three US vaccine makers say they are studying the safety of vaccines in children as young as six-months-old right now. Pfizer says it will not be ready to get theirs approved by the FDA until at least September.