ST. LOUIS — On Thursday, BJC Healthcare and Washington University School of Medicine are holding a virtual discussion regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and kids.
BJC and WashU will discuss the delta variant, COVID-19 vaccine for kids and other topics that may interest parents as students get ready to return to school next month.
The Facebook live is set for 7 p.m. Thursday on the St. Louis Children's Hospital page.
Doctors will discuss the following:
- Who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine?
- If my child’s classroom has to quarantine but they are vaccinated, will they need to quarantine?
- If my child is vaccinated, will they be able to play sports or have other activities?
- Should I let my child play or eat at school with other kids who aren’t vaccinated?
- Should I let my kids play at friends’ houses? What if the parents and/or kids/siblings at that house aren’t vaccinated?
- Is my child safe to be around coaches or teachers who aren’t vaccinated?
- How does the delta variant affect kids at this time?
On Friday, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced it will follow the CDC COVID-19 Prevention School Guidance.
According to an IDPH news release, major elements of the CDC guidance includes:
- Masks should be worn indoors by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated.
- CDC recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce transmission risk. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking.
- Screening testing, ventilation, handwashing and respiratory etiquette, staying home when sick and getting tested, contact tracing in combination with quarantine and isolation, and cleaning and disinfection are also important layers of prevention to keep schools safe.
- Many schools serve children under the age of 12 who are not eligible for vaccination at this time. Therefore, this guidance emphasizes implementing layered prevention strategies (masking, distancing, testing) to protect people who are not fully vaccinated.