By Kevin McLaughlin
Recently, the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine has been approved for children ages 5-11 years old. It is the same vaccine that adults have already received, except in a smaller dose.
Rochelle Walensky, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), signed off on administering the Covid-19 vaccine to children, after a 14-0 vote by the Advisory Committee in favor of passing the vaccine’s usage. This is yet another monumental step in achieving herd immunity, and getting back to “normal”.
This advancement directly affects the Dows Lane community, given the amount of children aged 5-11 who attend school there. I spoke to Dows Lane nurse Bernadette Fleming to get her thoughts on how the vaccine will change the Dows Lane community.
When asked if there will be any changes made to the Dows Lane community now that children will begin getting vaccinated, Ms. Fleming said, “ I believe that the same practices that are presently in place for the adolescent/adults that are vaccinated, will apply to the children aged 5-11.”
She also stated that she believes approximately 75% of children who attend Dows Lane will get vaccinated by the end of the school year, as some families are still weary about getting their child vaccinated.
If a vaccinated child gets Covid, they can expect to face the same challenges to get back into school as high school students. A negative test will be required to get back into school.
Ms. Fleming also said “anyone who has any symptoms, even if it is just one, needs to be tested. This is a state mandate, and the state only allows for NAAT: Nucleic Acid Amplification Test. Those that need to be tested can get a rapid molecular PCR or a molecular PCR test, which takes a bit longer to get the results. Once the results are obtained, they should be emailed to the school nurse for verification, so the individual can be cleared to return to school.”
While we do have a long way to go in the fight against Covid-19, this is yet another step in the right direction.
