The Delta Variant and Kids: 5 Things Parents Should Know Now

The Delta Variant Is More Transmissible

According to Dr. Céline Gounder, an infectious di sease physician and a member of the COVID-19 Advisory Board, the Delta variant "Is at least twice as infectious as earlier strains. That means one infected person today can go on to infect twice as many people as they would have with earlier in the pandemic." The increase seems to be because the viral load in Delta variant infections is about 1000 times higher than in earlier strains. More of the virus means it's more contagious, leading to more people getting sick and more people getting seriously ill.

We don’t yet know if Delta is making kids sicker than previous forms of the virus or if it’s more contagious. We do know more kids are getting sick. Compared to mid-June, weekly hospitalization rates in children ages four years and under in mid-July tripled from 0.2 to 0.6 per 100,000 people. Some hospitals, especially those in regions where Delta is surging like Texas and Florida, are seeing a surprising number of seriously ill pediatric patients.

Breakthrough Infections Are More Common

After annual Fourth of July gatherings in Provincetown, Massachusetts, led to an outbreak among fully vaccinated people, the game changed in the US. Using data from Provincetown, the CDC determined that vaccinated people may be able to "unknowingly transmit the virus to others, including their unvaccinated or immunocompromised loved ones," according to Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. As surprising as these breakthrough infections are, the vast majority of cases were mild, only 1% of patients were hospitalized, and everyone survived. While getting vaccinated may not be the silver bullet we envisioned in the spring, it is the best way to prevent yourself and the kids in your life from getting seriously sick.

Delta Variant Guidelines Are Changing

At the end of July, the CDC updated its mask guidance to encourage everyone, including vaccinated people, to wear masks in public places in communities with high transmission rates. So how can you tell what your community risk is? First, look for a high vaccination rate and a low transmission rate. The CDC has a color-coded map that shows the number of cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days. Anything in the orange (substantial) or red (high) range may be cause for concern.

After incentivizing and encouraging citizens and employees to get vaccinated, cities and companies are navigating the Delta variant with mandates on masks and vaccinations. Starting this fall, you’ll need to show proof of vaccination if you want to work out at Equinox, see Hamilton on Broadway, make reservations at Union Square Tavern, or clock in at Google. How vaccine mandates apply to kids under 12 are still fuzzy at best, but institutions like the Met Opera and Carnegie Hall will be off-limits for unvaccinated kids.

Back-to-School Is Back

As we head into the third school year affected by COVID-19, we now know how crucial in-person school is for kids. "We need to prioritize getting children back into schools alongside their friends and their teachers -- and we all play a role in making sure it happens safely," explains Sonja O'Leary , MD, FAAP, chair of the American Academy of Pediatricians Council on School Health. "The pandemic has taken a heartbreaking toll on children, and it's not just their education that has suffered but their mental, emotional and physical health." Luckily, 90% of teachers in the country are vaccinated, according to The White House. That number could increase as teacher's unions increasingly back school vaccine requirements in light of the Delta variant.

How back-to-school plays out at each school will depend largely on where you live. If you’re concerned, ask about the school's mitigation plan-ventilation, social distancing, cohorts, and testing—all things schools can do to control the spread.

The tools we've been using for the last year still work, especially layered together: hand-washing, social-distancing, testing, and wearing a mask. For younger kids who have trouble wearing masks all day, prioritize pick up and drop off and when they’re in communal spaces like the hallway or lunchroom.

If you created a space for learning from home, you may not want to pack it up yet. With more kids testing positive we will probably see more classrooms quarantining this fall. Stock the medicine cabinet with a few rapid antigen kits to know whether those middle-of-the-night coughs and fevers are cause for concern.

Covid Vaccines For Kids Are Coming

There is a bright side-vaccines for kids as young as six months old are not far off on the horizon. Pfizer expects to have data from clinical trials on kids ages 5 to 11 to submit for emergency approval in September or October and soon after for kids six months to five years old, while Moderna expects to wrap up clinical trials for kids under 12 at some point this winter.

There Is No One Right Way to Pandemic Parent

Parenting itself is an exercise in making decisions with imperfect information. We may need to evolve our thinking about activities as being either "safe" and "unsafe" and do our best to weigh the risks and benefits based on our family's health, priorities, risk tolerance, and case rates in the community.

Looking to another fall where we’ll need to be vigilant in a swirl of uncertainty is exhausting but making coronavirus decisions calmly and confidently can reassure kids that they’re safe.