4 common questions (and answers!) About unvaccinated children

While vaccines are available for most age groups, they still have to be approved for children under 12 years of age. With cases on the rise across the country, many parents wonder about the risks of engaging their children in other activities or hanging out with grandparents or people with immunodeficiency.

Here are 4 common questions about unvaccinated children:

How big is the risk of COVID-19 for unvaccinated children?

Photo by Daria Shevtsova via Pexels

Children are much less prone to severe COVID-19 complications than adults. Still, there are children who have died of COVID-19 who have experienced the long-term effects of the disease. While children are unlikely to get COVID-19, it is possible that they could pass the disease on to adults. According to one study, the child-to-adult transmission rate is about half the adult-to-adult transmission rate.

What is the risk for vaccinated parents of unvaccinated children?

Photo from rawpixel.com

RELATED: Health officials warn against traveling to this popular travel destination

Self magazine spoke to various experts on the subject and most agreed that vaccinated people are at low risk regardless of their children’s vaccination status. Still, Dr. Saad B. Omer made this clarification when it came to interiors: “If there is a situation where it is really full and you really don’t know who is vaccinated, it makes sense to wear a mask, especially with new variants around around the corner.”

Can unvaccinated children spend time with vaccinated grandparents?

Photo by Abi Howard via Unsplash

RELATED: Are You Afraid of the Pandemic Again? You can do that

This question is difficult because there are many variables to deal with. It essentially depends on the vaccination status of the grandparents, their comorbidities and the transmission rate of the community. Despite the vaccines, we’re still in a pandemic, so health experts recommend going outdoors and unvaccinated children wearing their masks.

What about group activities?

Photo by AndreyPopov / Getty Images

Outdoor sports for children should be a low risk activity. If kids have flu symptoms they shouldn’t attend, but otherwise it should be fine, especially when the COVID-19 community levels are low. When it comes to indoor activities, it’s more complicated. If the venue is large with a decent airflow, and the number of children attending is small and wearing masks, this is preferable and less risky than other alternatives.