School is out, and families are already hitting the road for vacation or dropping their kids off at camp. But because COVID-19 vaccines remain unavailable for anyone under 12, many parents are in the awkward position of feeling protected against the virus while their kids are not.
“Probably for the first time since COVID started, the risk profile has changed if you're an adult who's vaccinated versus a kid who's unvaccinated," said Dr. Philip Zachariah, a pediatrician at Columbia University and a hospital epidemiologist at New York-Presbyterian. “It's the first time that the adult is less likely to get infected versus the child.”
At the same time, the delta variant is pushing infection rates higher around New York City, the tri-state and nationwide. To be clear, the delta variant has not canceled summer. The overwhelming majority of children will be absolutely fine — even if they catch the coronavirus. But that still leaves room for a few thousand tri-state kids to be hospitalized because of the virus. New York City alone has recorded more than 1,700 pediatric hospitalizations since the pandemic began.
Given the stakes, WNYC host Michael Hill and health editor Nsikan Akpan walked through the best practices for COVID parenting during this summer of delta. Click "Listen" in the player, or head to Gothamist for the full story.
Given the stakes, WNYC host Michael Hill and health editor Nsikan Akpan walked through the best practices for COVID parenting during this summer of delta. Click "Listen" in the player, or head to Gothamist for the full story.