Families May Still Be Dealing WIth Pandemic Uncertainties Through The Fall
After almost a full year of disruptions due to the pandemic, families across the country are anxious for a return to normalcy. Many hoped that the vaccines would be a cure-all that would send kids back to school and return families to their regular schedules. Unfortunately, while vaccines bring enormous hope for the future, much uncertainty remains.
What is the current situation?
The Federal government has authorized use of two vaccines: Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. As of February 2, nearly 50 million doses had been distributed and more than 32 million doses had been administered.
While the initial rollout was slow, currently about 1.48 million shots are being administered per day. But, unfortunately, the rate of distribution from state to state has been very uneven. Each state receives vaccines based on population, so the number of vaccines available shouldn’t be an issue. Rather, it seems that questions about which segments of the population to prioritize, whether or not to temporarily withhold the second dose, and how to distribute the vaccines are causing the contrast in success rates.
But, even if all of the willing adults were to be vaccinated in the next few months, that still leaves kids at risk. Having the adults around them vaccinated will lower the risk for children, but not eliminate it entirely. Neither of the current vaccines have been approved for people under 16 years of age… making reopening schools a continued risk.
The good news is that clinical trials have begun and there is expected to be an approved vaccine for children as early as this spring, with hopes that most kids can be vaccinated and schools can safely reopen by early fall.
But, as we’ve seen thus far, hopes are not always reality. High case rates, new variants, teacher union negotiations, and elaborate and costly protocols for safe school reopenings all complicate a return to our kids' pre-pandemic life.
What will the next few months look like?
The short answer is that no one really knows. Just yesterday, President Biden purchased enough vaccines to fully immunize all eligible Americans. But, the new supply won't be delivered until the end of July, meaning it will help prevent vaccine shortages down the road, but won't necessarily accelerate the current pace of vaccinations.
Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently told "Today" that he expected all adults to have access to COVID vaccines by April.
The variety of potential timelines can make planning for the next few months complicated.
What can parents do about the uncertainty?
The best route may be to simply come to terms with the fact that we are in uncertain times. Avoid plans that can’t be easily broken and don’t promise your kids things that may not happen. It’s also a good idea to start envisioning how to make the best of a summer and perhaps even fall with Covid-safety in mind. Remember the things that didn’t work for you last year, and find ways to make this year easier.
The pandemic is a reminder to all of us that the only certain thing in life is change. While we can’t promise our kids a “normal” summer, we can promise them that we will do our best to adapt to the changes and make it the best summer possible.