New mom: With COVID-19 cases on the rise, where can I take my baby?
I was all ready to start taking my daughter more places, then I wondered -- should I?
Posted — UpdatedAfter spending most of my pregnancy social distancing and staying home, I was thrilled my baby was born in late April. By then, my family and friends were fully vaccinated, along with many strangers, and I felt comfortable getting out again.
I was all ready to start taking my daughter more places, but then I wondered -- should I? I don't want to live in fear, but I'd do anything to keep her safe.
I asked Dr. Peyton Thompson, a pediatric infectious diseases physician and researcher with UNC Health, my most pressing questions. I hope they help other parents of young children.
Parents can mitigate risks by taking appropriate measures, ensuring adults around their children are vaccinated, ensuring mask wearing (for adults and for children old enough to keep a mask on), and choosing outdoor play dates rather than indoor ones.
We know these measures work to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It is tiring and frustrating to continue the same precautions but necessary to protect our most vulnerable family and community members.
To quote the AAP, “Among states reporting [24 states + NYC], children ranged from 1.6%-4.1% of their total cumulated hospitalizations, and 0.1%-1.9% of all their child COVID-19 cases resulted in hospitalization." The numbers are overall small, and numbers may vary from state to state and hospital system to hospital system. Generally, children with underlying health conditions are the ones who are more apt to become severely ill when they get acute COVID-19.
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