Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Students Should Mask Up, CDC Says
Axios: CDC Says Schools Should Still Universally Require Masks And Physical Distancing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance for K-12 schools Saturday, noting that reopened schools should "require universal and correct use of masks and physical distancing." The clarification comes after the CDC's announcement Thursday that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks or physically distance indoors or outdoors. (Saric, 5/16)
Bloomberg: CDC Urges Masks for Schools
U.S. schools should maintain mask requirements at least through the end of the academic year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in its latest guidance, even after saying fully vaccinated adults can safely shed face coverings in most settings. “Universal and correct use of masks should be required” at K-12 schools providing in-person instruction, the CDC said in a statement Saturday. “Physical distancing should be maximized to the greatest extent possible.” That includes creating distance between children on school buses when possible and ensuring that “teachers and staff use proper handwashing and respiratory etiquette,” according to the agency. (5/14)
Axios: Fauci: Unvaccinated Kids Must Wear Masks In School This Fall
NIAID director Anthony Fauci said Friday that children who have not been vaccinated for the coronavirus will need to wear masks in schools this fall, CNN reports. Fauci said that children in schools need to wear masks "when they're out there playing with their friends and, you know, particularly in an indoor situation." (Gonzalez, 5/15)
The Hill: Schools Face New Pressures To Reopen For In-Person Learning
Schools across the country are facing new pressure to open for in-person learning this fall given the authorization of a vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 and new federal guidance that vaccinated people do not need to wear face masks indoors or outdoors. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona in an interview with The Hill reiterated that he expects all schools to fully reopen in the fall and said the vaccine and mask guidance updates this week will likely adjust how schools plan for the next school year. (Coleman, 5/16)
In related news —
Athens Banner-Herald: University Of Georgia Issues New COVID Guidelines With CDC Change
As spring semester wraps up, the University of Georgia has announced new COVID-19 guidelines. Vaccines will be strongly encouraged while masks are no longer required “effective immediately" for those fully vaccinated, according to a new return to campus letter released Friday to staff and faculty. (Allen, 5/14)
Detroit Free Press: Why These Detroit Teens Want Their Peers To Get Vaccinated
A group of Detroit high school students who say they want to do their part to encourage more students to get the COVID-19 shot has launched a campaign to get young people vaccinated. For some, it’s a personal mission. “Last year, my grandmother … had to be hospitalized for at least a month. It was a hard struggle for her,” said Demitri Marino, a senior at Renaissance High School whose grandmother had COVID-19. “She was lucky enough to pull through and come home safely. I just felt like it was my part to make sure I can at least do something to protect my family,” Marino said. (Higgins, 5/16)
KHN: What Does Approval Of The Pfizer Vaccine For Teens And Preteens Mean For My Child?
Q: The federal government approved the Pfizer vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds. What does this mean for my child? Extending the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to preteens and young adolescents adds nearly 17 million more Americans to the pool of those eligible to be immunized against covid-19, helping to build a vaccinated population closer to herd immunity. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are also testing the efficacy of their vaccines in teens and children. (Heredia Rodriguez, 5/14)
The Wall Street Journal: Pandemic Prom: No Dancing, Weird Locations
Toward the end of prom night at a community event hall in Grand Prairie, Texas, students started doing something forbidden. They started dancing. The prom queen and king had just been crowned. The senior song, Post Malone’s “Congratulations,” was playing, and excitement in the room was high. Some attendees jumped up from their chairs to take part in the banned activity, much to the dismay of the chaperones and the DJ, who urged everyone to sit down. (Chen and Vauerlein, 5/16)
CNN: How Should Parents With Children Younger Than 12 Use The CDC's New Mask Guidelines? Dr. Wen Explains
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's newly loosened masking and physical distancing guidelines for people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 doesn't include children under age 12. That's because the 49 million US kids younger than 12 don't yet qualify for any of the Covid-19 vaccines. The CDC's guidance says that unvaccinated people still need to wear masks, which means all of those in the under 12 age group. (Hetter, 5/15)
