Local pediatrician: How to keep students safe with hundreds of COVID cases reported in Wake County classrooms
Within the first two days of in-person classes, Wake County schools reported more than 140 cases of COVID-19. Those cases come on top of six clusters reported in year-round classrooms reported since Aug. 1, totaling over 430 cases in Wake County schools in August alone.
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Hospitals are also reporting a higher number of kids in hospital beds fighting COVID.
Local pediatrician Lori Langdon of Harnett Health says pediatricians didn't see as many cases in children during the first wave of COVID – but that's all changed with the Delta variant.
Parents should vaccinate their children and take precautions, she says, to help keep them safe.
"Now it’s not just to show your love and protection against the older folks. It's to show your love and protection for the younger children as well," Langdon said.
Pediatricians say Pfizer's vaccine will likely be available for children under 12 before winter. Langdon urges parents to consider getting their children vaccinated.
"Which is why we’re just preaching even louder: Everyone wear your mask indoors. Everyone please get vaccinated," she said.
According to Langdon, there has been an increased uptake of people coming into the doctor's office to get vaccinated.
"We're so excited to be able to participate in protecting our whole society by doing this," she said.
Right now, Langdon advises a two-pronged approach for helping protect your children during the school year: Get your children vaccinated if you can, and wear masks whenever possible. Masking, she said, is a big part of helping prevent the spread of the highly-contagious Delta variant.
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