How to Talk to Family & Friends: Keeping Kids Under 12 Safe from Covid-19 (by Angela Eilers)
Myka, still waiting for a vaccine [image description: A white tween girl with shoulder-length brown hair poses in front of her red front door. She wears jean shorts and a red t-shirt with a cartoon image of a suffragette holding a “Votes for Women” sign and standing on a platform with the words, "Susan B. Anthony Suffragette.”]
The CDC just recently lifted the mask mandate for those of us who have been fully vaccinated. Hurray! The moment we all waited for, right? Except that for some of us, our medically-complex, under-12-year-old children are still at risk every day in this Covid-19 world.
We trusted the school districts and our community to protect our children. We sent our kids back to school because we knew their classmates and teachers would be masked up. What happens to these kids who are not quite old enough to receive the vaccine, but are at added risk? Adults around them are maskless. Kids around them are maskless. Parents like me are still living in fear that their child can contract Covid-19.
My daughter Myka has weathered the pandemic with grace. It’s not an easy task for an 11 year old who is so full of life and active in so many ways, from Girl Scouts to ice skating to sleepovers. And, then, it all came to a crashing halt just like it did for millions of kids all over the country. But, for this family, we knew what was at stake for kids like Myka who live with medical complexities every day of the year. The sacrifices we made as a family were to protect her and other kids in our community who were, and continue to be, Covid high-risk.
Children now account for 22 percent of new Covid-19 cases. For some of these kids, mine included, Covid can bring about severe complications. For example, every state has reported instances of Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) as a result of Covid-19 infection in children, which can cause life-threatening inflammation to the heart, lungs, other major organs, and can also cause neurological issues.
What are parents to do? Continue to mask up.
But more than that, we need others in our community to help us protect our children until a vaccine is ready for those under the age of 12, maybe even this fall. It’s only a few more months, so ask your family and friends to continue to mask up around your child. Talk to your teachers. Talk to your doctors. Talk to your principals. Keep wearing your mask when you shop, dine outside, and gather with family or friends who have not been vaccinated. Share your stories and ask that others respect your choices and help you protect your child.
But mostly, ask your friends or family who are on the fence to get vaccinated! Please do not leave us behind as the country begins to reemerge from Covid-19. We are in this together!
Our medically complex and disabled kids are fighting some big battles. The least we can do is help them by masking up. Continue to be an ally and help them get to the Covid finish line along with the rest of us who have been vaccinated! Wash your hands. Use hand sanitizer. Be thoughtful. Help us protect our kids and our communities.
Angela Eilers lives in Yorba Linda, California, with her family. She is a member of Little Lobbyists.