What should parents know about getting their child vaccinated?
Protecting our 12 to 17 years old is so critical at this point. And we know that vaccines are so effective for them. Particularly with the rise of a variant that’s much more infective. We want to make sure that we’re protecting kids, but it’s really important that we protect kids who aren’t eligible yet, the 12 and under, because [for them], it’s all of us, the adults, the older siblings, the parents, the teachers, and schools, to give them that protection, and that starts with getting vaccinated.
What can we do to help protect our country?
Over the next six weeks, we’re going to have more than 15 million students going back to schools and more than 20 million students going back to undergrad and grad schools. It’s really important that we give them a safe environment to learn. We know we learn best when we’re in school in person. For 12 to 17 years of age, [there are] only 42% of those adolescents with at least one shot. When you look at 18 to 24, only 53% of these folks have gotten at least one shot, so we have to continue to make sure that we’re getting these folks vaccinated as fast as we can. And also, the other thing that I would recommend is making sure that we follow the CDC guidance. When you’re in school indoors, make sure that everybody masks, irrespective of your vaccination status.
