Children Play Significant Role in, Spreading COVID-19 Variant, Experts Say.
According to Dr. Michael Osterholm, Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of MInnesota.
the "B.1.1.7 variant is a brand new ball game"
when it comes to sending children back to school.
Osterholm, who was also a member of
Joe Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board up
until the president's inauguration.
said the variant "infects kids very readily.".
All the things that we had planned for about kids in schools with this virus are really no longer applicable. We've got to take a whole new look at this issue, Dr. Michael Osterholm, via ABC11 Raleigh-Durham.
Former FDA commissioner
Dr. Scott Gottlieb also
weighed in on the situation.
What we're seeing is pockets of infection around the country, particularly in younger people who haven't been vaccinated, and also in school-aged children, Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, on 'Face the Nation'.
But according to Osterholm, there isn't enough
time to get most children vaccinated for school.
We're not going to have nearly enough (vaccine doses) in the next 6 to 8 weeks to get through this surge, .., Dr. Michael Osterholm, via ABC11 Raleigh-Durham.
... and we're going to have to look at other avenues to do that just as every other country in the world who's had a B.1.1.7 surge has had to do, Dr. Michael Osterholm, via ABC11 Raleigh-Durham