Children are different in that they don t live in a bubble, said Henderson, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics Mississippi Chapter. They have siblings and parents that they have to interact with, so when you see a pediatric coronavirus case, you re likely to see multiple (infections).
Infections will continue to multiply
With the delta variant, infections will only continue to multiply if students, regardless of vaccination status, go to school mask-free. It is about 50% more contagious than the alpha variant, and has a 50% greater transmissibility rate than the original COVID-19 strain, according to Yale Medicine.
In the spring, if a student was infected with the alpha variant, they may have given it to one or two classmates, Oxford pediatrician Tanya Fitts said. But a student infected with the delta variant will transmit the virus to a large portion of classmates.
As Louisiana waits for COVID vaccines, childhood vaccinations fall to the wayside
“Although we have good control of vaccine-preventable diseases, many of those viruses and bacteria are still out there,” said Bocchini. Author: Mike McDaniel / Eyewitness News (WWL) Published: 10:31 PM CST February 11, 2021 Updated: 10:31 PM CST February 11, 2021
NEW ORLEANS They’re routine and required for school, but once the COVID pandemic took hold, millions of childhood immunizations were put on hold as well.
“Schools were shut down, businesses were shut down, and people were being asked to minimize contact,” said Dr. Joseph Bocchini, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and vice president of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.