Afternoons with
For
It’s a treasured time of making cookies, going to the library, or just hanging out. But the spirited little girl resists wearing a mask, and with the highly contagious variant spreading at a furious pace, Connolly says she’s wondering how long that can continue “and when does it feel too unsafe.’’
Connolly, of
Although health experts say omicron appears to cause less severe disease and lead to fewer hospitalizations, its rapid spread indicates that it is much more contagious than other variants. Nearly 718,000 COVID cases were reported Tuesday, according to the federal
"The sheer volume of infections because of its profound transmissibility will mean that many more children will get infected,’’ Dr.
COVID cases in
The omicron-fueled surge has also put children in the hospital in record numbers: During the week of
Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease doctor, said surrounding children with vaccinated adults is one way to keep them from contracting the virus. Health officials also reiterate that face masks prevent transmissions, and putting them on children 2 and older in public and group settings can help keep them safe.
Connolly, 39, and her mother had a difficult conversation Tuesday morning about the dilemma.
“Will Madeleine be masked?” her mother asked. “I said, ‘We’re trying, but I don’t know if she will,’’’ Connolly recalled. “I said, ‘Does that mean that Thursdays with
Parents who had hoped the new year might bring a COVID vaccine for young children had a setback when
Pfizer’s study has been updated to give everyone under age 5 a third dose, and data is expected around the end of March or beginning of April, a company scientist told
Researchers were disappointed by the setback, said Dr.
Maldonado said she understands the frustration of parents with young children, but that she advises them to avoid unnecessary travel during this current surge, and to make sure their day care centers, preschools and other care providers are requiring masks and taking other recommended precautions.
Watching omicron's spread,
“Babies normally get sick at this age,” Aki said. “But with everything with COVID ... anxiety is high.”
“COVID can really throw a wrench in those plans,’’ Cimellaro said.
Cimellaro, 33, says omicron has her rethinking running errands with the twins, library storytime visits, even preschool, located in a health center for the elderly. She worries the boys could catch COVID and spread it to their "grand-buddies.''
“It’s just a lot of worry: ‘Am I doing the right thing?’’’ she said. “That’s the thing. I’m not an epidemiologist. I don’t know how dangerous it is for them. So it’s kind of like that debate with myself.’’
They didn't see the great-grandmother over Christmas and skipped a holiday get-together with other relatives too.
“That was upsetting," Stanley said. "We all really wanted to. It just seemed risky.’’
Stanley, 35, a cook at a popular organic farm, used to take Ralph grocery shopping, a trip he looked forward to and that represented one of his few social interactions outside preschool. But few shoppers wear masks, she said, and now that seems too risky as well.
The shy little boy has had three recent scares and three negative COVID tests.
“Getting the swab test was really traumatic for him," said Stanley, who added that “virus” and “swab” are now part of his vocabulary.
“He keeps saying, ‘I don’t want to get a swab!'" she said. "If a vaccine comes for him, we’ll definitely get it.”
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