Kids are going back to the classrooms as COVID cases rise

EUREKA, Calif. (KIEM)- Kids are going back to school this week at the same time COVID-19 cases among children have been on the rise over the last month, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.  

So, how does the Delta variant of COVID affect children and how can we help keep them safe inside the classroom?

“The best one is that anyone who is eligible to be vaccinated if they are not already vaccinated. To keep kids safe in in-person learning situations, they really need to have a universal mask mandate,” Dr. Tina Q. Tan MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Dr. Tan says schools should continue to follow the safety guidelines they had in place the last school year. They should continue physically and socially distance. Where desks are at least 3 feet apart and good hand hygiene is also important as well as good ventilation in the classrooms, and smaller class groups.

“Having protocols in place where someone does become ill or test positive for covid you know exactly what to do. Those are the things we need to have in place in order to create a safe school setting,” Dr. Tina Q. Tan MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Dr. Tan says the vaccine has an effective rate of 65 to 75 percent against the Delta variant and prevents someone from getting a severe case of COVID.