(CNN) — While the U.S. sees an increase in COVID-19 vaccination rates among some populations, experts warn that lags among other groups, including teens, could hamper plans for further reopening.
Medical experts have warned that as more adults get vaccinated, the virus will continue to affect minors, who now account for about 25% of cases, simply because they have not been vaccinated.
“As more and more older people get vaccinated, more and more people with pre-existing conditions, more and more people who may be healthy and younger, the question is how do we protect our children?” Said epidemiologist Dr. Abdul El-Sayed on CNN on Sunday.
A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from the US examined more than 200 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 who were likely hospitalized primarily for COVID-19 in the first three months of 2021.
The report said there were no deaths while they were there, nearly a third were admitted to intensive care units, and about 5% required invasive mechanical ventilation.
“Each and every one of those hospitalizations, each and every one of those children in the ICU, is now preventable,” emergency physician Dr. Anand Swaminathan told CNN on Sunday, now that vaccines are available for those 12 and under. to 17 years.
The doctor warned that since certain states lag behind the national average vaccination rate, it could spell trouble for younger and more vulnerable populations.
“What we also see is that in the same places where adults are lagging, adolescents are lagging,” he explained.
Where vaccination is lagging
Only 13 states have met President Joe Biden’s goal of vaccinating 70% of American adults with at least one dose by July 4. Experts warn that laggards – states mainly in the Northwest and Southeast – may be vulnerable to another outbreak.
“There are parts of the country with very low vaccination rates,” CNN medical analyst Leana Wen said last week. “I am really concerned that unvaccinated people in those areas are passing the coronavirus to each other.”
Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Wyoming, Tennessee, and West Virginia. they have the lowest vaccination rates, with less than 50% of adults receiving at least one dose. Vermont, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine and New Jersey have the highest, with 75% or more of their adult population partially vaccinated.
One problem that vaccinations are lagging behind is lack of access and communication in certain communities, Dr. Swaminathan said.
“There are people who do not understand the fact that this is free. That communication has not been done as much as it should.
Swamiathan also said that there are barriers for people who cannot get paid time off from work or who have trouble finding childcare services that prevent them from receiving the vaccine.
While the Biden administration has advocated for greater access, Swamiathan said it was not enough.
“I wish we could have had it sooner. People need to take advantage of situations and get vaccinated.
New York City Public Schools will enforce the universal mask use policy
Until more people can get vaccinated, some schools plan to continue mitigation measures.
In New York City, public schools will continue to enforce the universal mask use policy until the end of the academic year, despite the state’s decision not to enforce them for a long time, a Department of Justice spokeswoman told CNN on Friday. New York City Education, Danielle Filson.
“According to state guidance, local districts can implement standards that make the most sense for their communities, and we continue our policy of universal mask use in our schools,” Filson said.
The city’s decision could help quell any possible transmission among young children who do not yet have access to the vaccine due to their age.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN that he is “cautiously optimistic” that children under the age of 12 may receive the COVID-19 vaccine by Thanksgiving.
“Now we are doing studies that are ongoing as we speak, studies that look at what we call age reduction, children from 12 to 9 and then from 9 to 6 and then from 6 to 2 and then from 6 months to 2 years”, Fauci told CNN’s John Berman last week.
“We hope that as we approach the end of this calendar year, we will have enough information to vaccinate children of any age,” he said.
If some communities continue to see high levels of infections, children under the age of 12 will likely still have to wear masks when they go back to school, Fauci told NBC Nightly News In the past week.
Vaccine advisers from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will meet Thursday to discuss whether to authorize COVID-19 vaccines for children under 11 years of age.
CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian and Naomi Thomas contributed to this report.
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