With the summer break winding down in the next month or so for a lot of children across the country, parents are starting to consider how they will keep their children protected from the virus during the new school year. The CDC recommends everyone 12 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination. Pfizer is still the only company with emergency use authorization for those between the ages of 12 to 15. According to US News & World Report:

The latest CDC data shows that 33% of 12-15-year-olds have received one shot. Just 25% are considered fully vaccinated – the lowest number for any age category that has been authorized to receive the vaccine.

For the 16-17 age group, 45% have had at least one shot and 37% are considered fully vaccinated.

A lot of parents have apparently made the decision not to vaccinate their children because the thought was children that get COVID don’t get too sick, but with the Delta variant hospitals are seeing more serious cases in young people. NBC News writes:

Angela Morris said she resisted Covid-19 vaccinations for herself and her 13-year-old daughter believing that other preventative measures, like mostly staying home and wearing masks, would be enough to ward off infection.

But on July 1, Morris wrote on Facebook that her daughter, Caia Morris Cooper, had tested positive for Covid. Two days later, she updated her friends that her daughter had been admitted to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock and was on a ventilator.

For parents who have had their kids vaccinated yet, they would have to receive their first Pfizer shot soon, so they can get their second one before school starts.

For children between the ages of 5 to 11, we are learning that emergency authorization may not come until mid-Winter. While school districts still weigh whether or not to require masks on campus, the CDC has made it clear unvaccinated kids should still wear masks. And just a few days ago The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended all children over the age of 2 wear masks at school, regardless of vaccination status. Now some school districts are announcing they will follow that guidance.

Still, many schools around the country have said masks will be optional in the fall. It’s safe to say more districts will change this policy based on the rise in cases. What is more worrisome is some states have said masks won’t be allowed under any circumstance.

Regardless of where the numbers are heading or how schools handle masks or social distancing, the CDC has said: “safely returning to in-person instruction in the fall 2021 is a priority.”