How can I protect a child too young for a COVID-19 vaccine?

How can I protect a child too young for a COVID-19 vaccine?

Children under 5 cannot yet get the COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, but there are steps you can take to protect them from infection while on vacation.

“Surround them with vaccinated adults and siblings, boosted if eligible,” advises Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

She also encourages taking home COVID-19 tests before rallies.

The CDC recommends that anyone who is unvaccinated – including children ages 2 and older – wear face masks indoors in public. If your child is under 2 – or can’t wear a mask for other reasons – the agency suggests limiting visits with unvaccinated people. And he says to keep a distance between the child and others in public places.

Adults could also choose to wear a mask indoors in public to set an example for young children, according to the CDC. But in virus hotspots, it is said that everyone should wear masks in those environments, whether or not they are vaccinated.

Matthew Binnicker, an expert on viral infections at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, says it might be a good idea to have everyone masked at family gatherings if unvaccinated children are present, as there is still a chance that vaccinated adults can spread the virus.

He also suggests limiting gatherings to 10 people or less.

Dr Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, says family reunions shouldn’t be confused with “parties with 30, 40, 50 people” where you don’t know who’s vaccinated.

“These are the kind of functions – in the context of COVID and particularly in the context of omicron – that you don’t want to access,” he says.

In the United States, children between the ages of 5 and 11 can receive child-sized doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The company is testing an even lower dose for babies and preschoolers.

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The AP answers your questions about the coronavirus in this series. Send them to: [email protected]. Read more here:

Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe for children?

How can I protect myself from the new omicron variant?

How will the world decide when the pandemic is over?