Schools to resume; no time to lose in vaccinating youths

With the very contagious delta variant on the loose, and K-12 schools about to reconvene, vaccination remains the best mode of defense for everyone against COVID-19.

August 2, 2021 - 8:48 AM

Pop music star and Disney actress Olivia Rodrigo makes a brief statement to reporters at the beginning of the daily news conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on July 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. Rodrigo is partnering with the White House to promote COVID-19 vaccination outreach to her young fans. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/TNS)

With schools set to resume in just a few weeks, Rebecca Johnson, director of the Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Departments, is in panic mode.

The COVID-19 pandemic is nowhere close to being eradicated and even though a vaccine is available, not enough people are taking advantage, putting local students at risk.

“Some children may not have as serious of symptoms as adults,” if they contract the virus, Johnson wrote in a July 27 email. “But they can still get sick as well as carry it home to their parents, grandparents or others who are immunocompromised,” including fellow classmates.

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