Experts Discuss Strategies to Keep Adolescents Healthy in School Environments
Unity® Consortium hosts panel moderated by Dr. Chelsea Clinton, with representatives from American Association of School Administrators, National School Boards Association and National Association of County and City Health Officials
NEWTOWN, Pa., Oct. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- School districts have taken steps to ensure a safe and healthy return to the classroom, but health concerns remain. The Delta variant continues to spread, and many adolescents are not vaccinated against COVID-19. In addition, many students have fallen behind on routine vaccinations during the pandemic, leaving adolescents vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases. Schools and school districts have worked tirelessly to protect students from serious illnesses. The question is -- what are they doing?
Unity® Consortium, a non-profit organization focused on adolescent health through prevention and vaccination, recently hosted a discussion with the Clinton Foundation to explore how school districts nationwide can protect and ensure the safety and well-being of students in classrooms. Moderated by Dr. Chelsea Clinton, experts from the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the National School Boards Association (NSBA), the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and Teens for Vaccines, shared strategies that schools can adopt to help keep adolescents and young adults safe and healthy in schools.
A key strategy discussed was the partnership between school districts and their local public health departments. According to data shared by Lisa Macon Harrison, MPH, president of the NACCHO, ninety-eight percent of health departments report working well with K-12 school districts to develop and implement strategies. The close partnership between school districts and health departments has been an important factor in helping to keep students safe and healthy in school.
In addition, the panel discussed strategies for schools to help reduce the spread of infection. "There is so much chaos in terms of guidelines, recommendations and what to do," said Daniel A. Domenech, Ph.D., Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators (AASA). "Our guidance has consistently been to do what is in the best interests of the staff and students that they serve and to follow the science. There is no question that the #1 mitigating factor is vaccination. If we all got vaccinated, we would all be in a very different situation than where we are today."
According to Mr. Domenech, the data show that school districts with higher vaccination levels are experiencing lower levels of virus spread. Mr. Domenech noted other strategies, such as the use of vaccination clinics to reach eligible students as well as faculty and staff. He discussed the role of mask-wearing. Children under 12 are not yet eligible for vaccines, so masking for all students – even for those who have been vaccinated – has played an important role in keeping students well. In addition to spacing desks, Dr. Domenech noted that air quality strategies have had a positive impact. In warmer months, many schools have taken students outside for classes.
Routine immunizations remain well below 2019 levels for adolescents and young adults. As the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread, adolescent hospitalizations for COVID-19 are increasing significantly. In June through July, hospitalizations were 10 times higher among unvaccinated adolescents versus those fully vaccinated as reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
The panelists also expressed support for the anticipated approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 5-11. The expansion of access to this age group will significantly help schools keep students safe and healthy in school.
A strong majority of parents and teens have consistently agreed on the importance of social distancing and mask guidelines to mitigate COVID-19 spread; however, there are differences level of agreement depending on geography, vaccination status and certain demographics.
All agreed that it is important to include adolescents and young adults in the discussion.
"We teens want to be heard and be part of the conversation. Create spaces for teens to talk to teachers, nurses, and doctors," said Arin Parsa, Founder, Teens for Vaccines, Unity Teen Advisor. "What will really help is asking us teens what we are thinking, how we are feeling, what are our ideas, and celebrating our contributions. It is important for parents to tell their kids they're proud of them, for being responsible; Teens can be the heroes we need for crushing COVID and getting our lives back."
About Unity Consortium
Unity® Consortium is a non-profit organization that unites diverse groups around a common passion - the imperative to protect against all vaccine-preventable diseases to support lifelong health. Our members represent public and private organizations, industry, academia, healthcare providers, retailers, and advocacy groups. As one strong voice, Unity Consortium addresses the unique challenges surrounding adolescent and young adult health, prevention, and immunization. For more information, visit us at https://unity4teenvax.org.
Media Contact
Patty Caballero, Unity Consortium, +1 862.216.7523, [email protected]
SOURCE Unity Consortium
Share this article