Apr 30, 2004 (CIDRAP News) – It’s official: federal health authorities say that from now on, all children between the ages of 6 months and 23 months should receive an annual influenza shot.
Previously, flu shots were “encouraged” for all children in this age-group because of their increased risk of flu-related hospitalization. The new children’s immunization schedule from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changes the encouragement to a recommendation.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted in favor of the recommendation for 6- to 23-month-olds last October. The CDC published the ACIP’s annual recommendations on preventing influenza today, and the revised immunization schedule for children appears in the Apr 30 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Thanks, I just wanted to clarify…and as of right now I think that is the policy at many schools, unvaccinated mask indoors, distance, test, etc. while vaccinated students don’t have to do those things.
For many schools, companies etc., people were sold that there would be perqs for getting vaccinated. And while things might change because of variants, if there is less incentive for people to get vaccinated, it will be harder to tell people to get boosters or the still reluctant to get vaccinated because some will ask “why would I do that, if I still have to wear a mask”. We are seeing that not enough people are willing to do the right thing to protect others.
At what point are we close to herd immunity anyway? If 90 percent are vaccinated is that not good enough? Oh and now the vaccinated are getting Covid anyway, yet they will be exempt from testing/masks/etc. If an unvaccinated 18-21 yo gets Covid, also, for the most part, they usually dont get that sick; also most of their peers are vaccinated , so if the vaccines are working, there should not be any large outbreaks. It seems that the colleges are requiring vaccines higher than any country or state is vaccinated. If it doesnt work at colleges, will it ever work. Should it matter that a small percentage are not vaccinated? When do we return to “normal” at colleges? Lets just say a school has 100% compliance with no exemptions granted. Will parties be allowed? What happens with breakthrough cases? I am still upset that at my sons school he had more in person classes last year than this year.
Didn’t Bowdoin’s messaging say that the guidance can change anytime? I know both of my kid’s schools that have mandates in some form clearly say that. I assume both your kids schools would have some sort of disclaimer as well. Everyone knows things can change at the drop of a hate.
You seem fixated on the amount of tuition you’re paying. Many of us are paying tuition and hundreds of thousands at that but I’ve never put all my eggs in one basket in believing that anything will be 100% normal. Look back at my comments in our class page when the CSU schools announced full in person last winter. Nothing is 100%. Heck, someone can pay tuition and a week later their kid could get run over by a car. There is always a risk. Everyone has choices. These questions you’re asking here you may be better off contacting your kids schools as a concerned parent and ask what their plans are. They can tell you they’ll be making decisions as of a certain date, but you’re smart enough to know that can change the beforehand. In March 2020 my daughter was told they were shutting down school on March 20 for Spring Break a week early. On March 12 suddenly they were told they had to get out by March 13. If we all had a glass ball we would know these answers.
Also, in response to your comment that this is not like mono, it sure is like mono. Mono is highly contagious. It’s just not a deadly virus like this. My daughter spent the last 2 months of school having mono, but didn’t know she had it until she was already home. She doesn’t know who she got it from, but suspects she got it in mid-March during Spring Break. 2 of her friends also got it around the same time as she did but she hadn’t been sharing anything with them, but they shared with each other. She was not sleeping all the time, she was able to go to her classes, she was going out at night, out to restaurants, and public things, etc. What she couldn’t do once she found out she had it was go near immune compromised people, and younger children who may not have previously been exposed to it. As it turns out, something like 98% of adults have already been exposed to mono, which is why you rarely hear of adults getting it. We also recently found out that my 18 year old who was having some liver tests done, had mono at some point. He had it before my daughter, but didn’t give it to her. No clue where he got it from, but never had any effects of it. Again, no sleeping all day, no missing school, or anything like that. It’s not necessarily the same as you mentioned, but the key is that it is highly contagious but passed by sharing fluids, so someone coughing on someone else could pass it on although rare, but coughing on a toothbrush, sharing a drink, straw, silverware, etc. Professors do make accommodations for these kids that miss classes. My other daughter’s roommate that went home, went home so that she wouldn’t get any one sick including my daughter and to see her own Dr. It wasn’t so she could sleep all day or because she was too tired to go to classes. For some yes, they sleep a lot, but many are still capable of doing work, but the bottom line is they are unable to be present in class.
If they do, they do. If your kid is vaccinated, then who cares if people harass the unvaccinated. Not our kids problem for being vaccinated. The bigger problem is going to be when some of these nuts who don’t believe in science, and buy into all the myths, don’t get vaccinated for that reason only and loses their sh*t and goes ballistic and kills someone over it. Probably won’t happen in Maine but some of these other places wouldn’t surprise me.
I saw that McConnell came out today and said don’t believe the misinformation out there and told people to get vaccinated. That’s fine, but they want it both ways. Keep the big mouths from spouting the misinformation and get out there and stop it. The things people think about the vaccine is beyond. We know it works. This virus is here to stay forever, but we should not have to take 1 step forward and 2 steps back. Why people aren’t sick of that I just can’t understand.
Maybe you already know, but S19 took a gap semester when he wasn’t happy with Bowdoins fall plan last year. A LOT of kids at some schools gapped. They’d rather wait until it’s more likely to be a normal experience. There’s no shame in that. In his case, it was a really good decision. D21 said early on that if freshman year won’t be very close to normal then she’d like to gap. We are very close to fall semester. Schools should be publishing their plans.
Well aware , as a Peds, of the guidelines. Many of my partners trained in the 90s and were well aware of flu risks in kids. We saw it allll the time even in residency in 2000s after the vaccines were ramping up. Thats why they were ramped up and encouraged. I stand by my statement your peds , as you have described him/her, was quite naive. PM if you wish to debate—that is banned here.
Sorry, I didn’t know that and that’s fortunate he was able to do that. If that’s something your daughter is considering, she then should contact them and find out if that’s an option. I’m not sure what type of calendar cycle they’re on - quarter or semseter but I would think with them being in NY and a more rural area of NY at that, you’re going to have similar guidance as some of the other schools in that area and it’s going to be more normal than most schools and a much better semester than say if she had ended up at Vandy for instance, even though they themselves did a good job with Covid, we know the state is back to not doing so hot.
Michigan passed the 75% threshold today and is at 76%. Someone commented rightly so on the FB page that when you add in the internationals who’s vax status isn’t even included yet since they will be vaxxed at once arriving on campus, the numbers will go up. They’re right. That made me realize that will happen at many campuses, so take note of that for your schools too. The rates will only increase. If they’re mandating it, you’re going to find a highly vaccinated population. If masking is the biggest negative consequence of any of this, it’s a far cry from what happened at schools last year and there were many kids that regretted taking gap years last year or staying fully remote. My biggest issue with requiring only unvaccinated to mask, is who’s going to really know who is unvaccinated or not? That’s why we’re back where we are with this today. So unless people who are vaccinated are going to wear some sort of marker, no one is going to know. Even when I went to costco today, I wore my mask most of the time, and wondered if people thought I wasn’t vaxxed but realized they probably figured I was, because those unvaxxed aren’t wearing masks anyway, which is the problem!
I’m vaccinated and I have zero problem living with someone who isn’t. I know so many people who aren’t in NY. I would never ask my roommate if they are vaccinated either. I’m not here to judge or shame anyone.
This is what makes America great. I would want to live roommate that has similar values that I do. Usually on the questions it’s like are your messy, clean, what kind of music do you like and are you vaccinated (just added that one… Lol)… If you or anyone else are comfortable living with someone non vaccinated then great. I am not.
lol…there are way more questions I would add to that survey.
I’m vaccinated and I’m protected. I also had Covid - just a sniffle. I’m not worried about my rooming situation. Most likely my roommate is vaccinated and if not I don’t mind. I’m also not going to “rat, spy or out” anyone.
In my hometown most people are not vaccinated so I guess I’m used it it.
You have a good perspective but like usually hangs with like. It’s not you I worry about. It’s the roommate and friends. Trust me, students that had to isolate last year said basically it sucked. I am all about learning about different people and cultures, etc. I am not willing to get sick from someone if I have a chance to avoid it. Too many hours to study and do well in college. Not worth it to get behind in school work. It can be really hard to catch up.
Because vaccination is now largely a proxy for political alignment, this type of thing (wanting a roommate of “similar values”) is both a symptom of and a reinforcer of political division.
If B.1.617.2 / Delta has an R0 of 5-8, it would require at least 80-88% immune to have herd immunity. Note that this means that vaccination + natural infection recovered needs to be somewhat higher than that, because some in both groups can get breakthrough infections. But also note that this includes faculty, staff, and the nearby community that the college community has frequent interaction with.
Continuing masking or social distancing could reduce effective R0 by some so that a lower percentage immune can produce herd immunity. But R0 may also be higher in high density communal living situations like dorms, fraternities, sororities, and other common student housing.
