COVID Update: The Delta Variant and Children
There is so much confusion about COVID-19 these days - and parents with unvaccinated children often don’t know what to think. How worried should parents be? Should parents follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines or the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines around masking? This blog will provide clarification about the current knowns and unknowns to the above questions.
What is the Delta Variant (DV)? DV was first recognized in India is December 2020. Since then, it has spread rapidly around the world. It is considered to be at least two times more contagious than prior strains. As an example of its rapid growth, 20% of US’s COVID cases were due to the DV in late June. Now, a few weeks later, 80% of cases in the US are due to DV. DV replicates quickly, producing higher viral loads in shorter periods of time than prior strains. This means that it is both more contagious and more likely to produce symptoms.
Does vaccination protect against the DV? The short answer is yes — any of the vaccines provide fairly good protection. “Breakthrough” is the term to describe catching the disease after being vaccinated. Somewhere between 7 to 20% of vaccinated people could develop COVID symptoms from the Delta variant. Here in Maine, vaccinated people make up less than 0.0002% of reported COVID cases. All the experts agree that immunization provides fantastic protection against severe illness, even if breakthrough disease occurs. A UK study demonstrated that the Pfizer vaccine is 96% effective against needing hospitalization from COVID illness.*
But what about children under 12? Children under the age of 12 now represent the most vulnerable population, because they are unvaccinated. The higher the rate of people who aren’t immunized in a population, the higher the risk for all children who are not immunized. The data supports that DV is two times more contagious in children than prior variants. It is unclear if DV can put children or higher risk of hospitalization and death than prior variants - there is not enough data yet. However, children are more likely to have symptoms of illness because DV comes with a higher viral load.
When are vaccines going to be approved for children under age 12? The Magic 8 ball says that answer is unclear. Current rumors are the vaccine approval will now be sometime early to late winter for children under age 12.
How can children be protected? Masking remains the best protection against COVID. Increasingly, experts are suggesting that masks be worn indoors by everyone, regardless of immunization status — this, however, does not align with CDC guidelines. On July 19, the AAP recommended that all children and school staff, regardless of immunization status, be masked at school this fall — again, this is more conservative guidance than from the CDC.**
What should parents do? Stay informed! Talk to your pediatrician. It is always important for parents to understand local guidelines in conjunction with local case numbers. Regardless, my conservative self, recommends universal indoors masking to best protect all children under age 12. The irony is that children were masked this past year to protect the elderly and at-risk populations. Now, children are at greatest risk because of the quick spread of DV among unvaccinated populations.
*https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vaccines-highly-effective-against-hospitalisation-from-delta-variant
**https://services.aap.org/en/news-room/news-releases/aap/2021/american-academy-of-pediatrics-updates-recommendations-for-opening-schools-in-fall-2021/
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#demographicsovertime
*https://www.cbsnews.com/video/dr-anthony-fauci-on-children-wearing-masks-in-school-and-delta-variant/#x
