JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Students in Duval County will head back to school on Tuesday, with another school year to bare the weight of COVID-19. This time, an even more contagious variant is on the loose.
City leaders say the best tool against this virus is the vaccine, but children under 12 aren’t eligible for it.
Infectious disease expert Dr. Mohammed Reza said this virus is going to spread in their classrooms.
“Sadly, our elected officials are not standing up and doing more to protect our children,” Reza said. “That’s that’s my concern that everybody keeps saying get vaccinated, but we know children at 12 cannot get vaccinated. That’s just false rhetoric that they were throwing at this point.”
In Duval schools, they’re required to wear masks, unless their parents opt them out of the requirement.
Pediatric cases of COVID-19 have skyrocketed.
Baptist Health on Sunday reported 19 new COVID-19 positive patients in Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital. Five are in the ICU. They say more than 90% of current COVID patients 12 and up have not been fully vaccinated.
An NBC report says when it comes to vaccinating children under 12, they need a unique dose and timing of the shots.
Reza says even if everyone across Duval were vaccinated today, they wouldn’t be protected for several weeks.
“So what do we need to do for children going back to school next week is to really tell them in model to them how to properly keep a mask on even if others are on not doing it,” Reza said. “Show them proper hand hygiene techniques, teach them how not to touch their faces and fiddle with their mask. That’s all we can do at this point.”
Duval County Public Schools is working with the county’s health department to set up a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in each of its secondary schools, beginning Aug. 18, Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene announced during a news conference last week.
The clinics will offer the two-dose Pfizer vaccine for eligible high school and middle school students and staff who want a shot. The goal, the superintendent said, is to get every eligible person vaccinated in the first quarter.
The school district is strongly recommending its students wear face coverings when they return to the classroom. It’s asking parents of students who would like to opt their children out of wearing masks to complete an opt-out form before class is back in session.
For Duval County teachers and staff, masks are mandated through Sept. 3.
The district said it will also be following these safety precautions:
- Daily disinfecting of high-touch points and use of anti-microbial spray.
- Staffed, isolated rooms for students exhibiting COVID-related symptoms.
- Temperature checks for elementary students only.
- Emphasizing handwashing/using hand sanitizer.
- Hiring additional nursing staff and school health aides to support every school.
- Implementing free telehealth services for all students (with parental consent) to give students access to health care.
- Continuing the use of classroom and school bus seating charts to help the Department of Health with contact tracing and to minimize quarantines.
- Updating the COVID-19 Dashboard daily.
At the Gateway Town Center, where Agape Health is offering COVID-19 vaccinations, News4Jax was told there were children getting shots on Saturday ahead of the first day of school. But, according to doctors, it’ll be a few weeks before they are protected.