With the good news of the COVID-19 vaccine now available for kids ages 5-11, many parents’ thoughts are turning to planning the holidays finally together again.
But there’s still reason for caution heading into Thanksgiving and the December holidays, experts warn.
“We’re in a much safer place than we were last year,” says pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Colleen Nash, a doctor at Rush University Medical Center and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Rush Medical College.
But there is a but. “There’s almost another layer of complication because now we have very mixed groups of vaccinated individuals,” she says.
One risk: Kids under 5 are still not eligible for vaccines and kids ages 5-11 are not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after the second shot, potentially putting them right up against the holidays. Nash says parents also should keep in mind their family and friends might encounter people who choose not to be vaccinated.
“So there are still those settings where we have to go back to our basics with thinking about distancing, not having large indoor gatherings depending on the types of people that are in our group for the holidays,” she says. Handwashing should always be a given, but depending on your gathering, masks might also be needed, she says.
The vaccine for younger kids is needed. Recently, kids make up the greater share of COVID cases: 1 in 4, says Latania Logan, MD, MSPH, hospital epidemiologist and chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Rush, in a news release.
While children generally have less severe cases, currently more pediatric COVID-19 patients are needing to be hospitalized, she says. They can become seriously ill, and some may die. Even children with few or no symptoms may develop lingering effects, such as the condition called “long COVID,” or they may suffer from the rare but serious multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), Logan says in the release.
Other worries
COVID isn’t the only concern this year.
It’s a topsy-turvy time for viral diseases, Nash says. We are on the cusp of an influenza season where it is still unknown how bad it will be, she says, adding the holidays are following a “wonky viral season over the summer, especially in children.” RSV, a traditionally wintertime epidemic, hit over the summer with a good amount still circulating in Chicagoland, she says. It is unknown if it will hit hard again this winter.
So she recommends when eligible kids get their COVID vaccine, they get the flu vaccine, too. The younger kids, those 6 months and up, not eligible for the COVID vaccine, should get their flu shot to protect them, she says.
“We’ve been doing this for almost two years and it’s been a long hard road that’s going to continue to evolve and I would just ask parents to stay strong and just go back to the basics and keeps those going. Masking works, handwashing works, not having huge parties indoors works and being really thoughtful about the groups you are hanging out with,” Nash says.
“We did it last year and we can do it again,” she says. “Everyone’s tired, everyone’s just sick of this! I would just encourage families to keep on doing what they’ve been diligently doing this whole time.”
Plane travel
If your family is considering flying during the holidays, Nash still isn’t encouraging unnecessary travel. Even with the vaccines being widely available, families are still potentially traveling with people who are unvaccinated. “You just don’t know what other people’s status is and that is a risk in and of itself,” she says.
If you do travel, masks are required in airports and on planes and kids should limit touching surfaces as much as possible.
The Illinois Department of Public Health also still recommends delaying travel until everyone eligible in your family is fully vaccinated. Other tips include scheduling shorter or direct trips to minimize potential close contacts, scheduling travel during off-peak times to avoid crowds and delaying or postponing travel to areas with high COVID numbers.
Chicago’s emergency travel order continues to urge unvaccinated people to get tested three to five days after travel and to self-quarantine for seven days after returning from states with high rates.
Masks on, navigating food
Masks work, Nash says. And while some might think it’s selfish to wear a mask at gatherings, it also actually helps protect others who are not vaccinated from the virus.
IDPH, which is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated before gathering, also is recommending masks inside, even with small groups and physical distancing. It recommends families avoid crowding around food either by staggering visits to the buffet spread (thus avoiding the mad rush to the mashed potatoes) or to plate and serve food, with guests seated apart.
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