For the second time in one month, my 4-year-old grandson is in quarantine because of exposure to COVID-19 at his pre-school, evidence of the pandemic’s resurgence due to the delta variant.
Because our vaccination rates are still lagging — Allen County’s is 42% — more children are being caught in the wake of this highly contagious variant.
Today, hospital admissions for children with COVID-19 are matching those for when the pandemic peaked in January, according to the Centers for Disease and Prevention.
So far, grandson Lucas has no symptoms. And while we’re relieved, we realize he’s still a potential carrier and could infect others, including his 1-year-old sister. A vaccine for kids under age 12 cannot come soon enough.
Lucas’s situation affects the entire family.
Besides altering our work schedules, the adults are now back to wearing face masks when out and about because we don’t want to unwittingly pass along the virus that Lucas may have transmitted to us. Thankfully, we’re all vaccinated, reducing our chances of getting sick should we contract the virus.
Remember, the vaccine is not an impervious shield to the virus, but serves to protect us from getting seriously ill if we contract it.
To date, more than 620,000 Americans have died from COVID-19.
AT 65, I’m old enough to remember people paralyzed from contracting polio, a highly contagious virus that for 40 years terrorized families because it primarily affected children.
As a child, I got the measles, mumps, and chicken pox, which also carried risks of severe outcomes.
In my lifetime, vaccines have been developed to protect against those four viruses as well as smallpox, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, meningitis, rubella, hepatitis, and numerous others.
The relief for parents that their children can now be protected from these diseases is beyond words.
Most parents see that their children stay up to date on their shots. It also helps that our schools require students be current on their vaccinations.
With the pushback about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, I worry that the movement against vaccines in general will grow.
Scientists say that if the rate of immunizations falls below the 90% range, life-threatening diseases like polio — which still has no cure — can recur.
