MINNESOTA, USA — Most parents are already accustomed to making sacrifices for their kids.
After all, that's what being a parent is all about right?
And pediatrician Dr. Stacene Maroushek at Hennepin Healthcare says the pandemic is no exception.
While many summer activities may be safer for vaccinated parents, they may not be as safe for the kids.
"The kids may not be getting terribly sick, but with the B117 they may be a little sicker,” Dr. Maroushek says.
"You have to continue the same precautions you've been doing, the social distancing, the mask wearing."
And Maroushek says early studies and research suggest kids may be more likely to spread the B117 variant to adults.
So, with summer activities like sports and play dates, Maroushek says parents should stay the course and keep social distancing their kids when they can.
And with family trips, she says some activities are safer than others.
"Outdoor activities if you can, a hike in the park, go for a walk, maybe going out to nature trails,” Maroushek says.
While getting kids vaccinated before summer is very unlikely, Pfizer believes its vaccine should be ready for most kids before the start of next school year.
The company requested FDA approval on Friday for kids between the ages of 12 and 15.
Maroushek says younger kids may not be far behind and getting kids vaccinated may not be as complicated as it has been for adults.
"I know in the past during major pandemics they've used the schools as a vaccination site and if they do something like that you know we may be able to get it done fairly quickly,” Maroushek says.
But until that happens she says parents should be focused on safety this summer.
"People are really tired of it. They're really done with it. And everybody wants to get out and do stuff, but we're not quite there yet. I think you still need to stay the course."