CDC just changed guidelines for summer camps

As the number of national COVID-19 cases begins to decline and vaccination rates increase, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has started to change some of the guidelines in place since the start of the pandemic. Recently, this has included the suggestion that fully vaccinated people can be outdoors without a face mask. But another set of agency guidelines that have been criticized for being too harsh have also just been changed in light of recent developments. Read on to see any updates the agency has made, and for more important updates the CDC says to “avoid” going here, even if you are vaccinated.

The most recent change from the CDC concerns the guidelines it released at the end of April outlining safety procedures for summer camps operating in the midst of the pandemic. The 14-page document suggests multiple risk mitigation efforts, including recommending that campers and counselors stay socially distant and emphasizing the use of face masks during most activities, even in the summer. outside. “All people in the camp facilities should wear masks at all times, with a few exceptions for certain people, or for certain settings or activities, such as eating, drinking or swimming,” the guidelines say.

But at a press conference on May 5, the CDC director Rochelle Walensky, MD, announced that the agency has updated its guidelines on summer camps. Now fully vaccinated adolescents and adolescents 12 years and older will be able to remove their masks when they are outdoors.

During the press conference, Walensky explained that the mask guidelines were based on CDC case studies of high-profile camp-related events from last summer. “So if you have five 10 year olds who are on a soccer field, all in front of the same soccer ball, we try to make sure that there isn’t a lot of heavy breathing around a soccer ball. singular football with five. kids around at the same time, ”she explained.

Walensky also clarified that children under 12 can also remove their masks outside when in small groups. “What we’re really trying to do is make sure that all of these kids can have a really good camp experience and keep the camps open without any outbreaks,” she said. And to learn more about when we may be able to get past the pandemic, America will “feel close to normal” on that exact date, the COVID expert said.

The news of the change comes as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it is preparing to authorize the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents aged 12 to 15 in the next days. The results of a recent trial published in March found that the injections were potentially even more effective in the younger cohort than in adults, The New York Times reported.

“We are ready to act as quickly as possible after any type of authorization”, Andy slavitt“We know the kids want to go to camp this summer. We know the parents want them to be safe. If they want it to be without a mask, vaccinations are the best answer.”

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The change also comes after critics challenged the summer camp guidelines, with one calling them “unfairly draconian” for children. In a May 5 appearance on the Today show, Anthony Fauci, MD, the White House’s chief COVID adviser, clarified his feelings about the CDC’s guidance for the camps, saying Anchor Savannah Guthrie: “I wouldn’t call them excessive, but they are certainly conservative.” He added, “I think what you’re going to start seeing is really real time, continually re-evaluating it for convenience. Because you’re right, people look at it and say, ‘Well, is that a little too far right now? ‘”

But even before news of the change arrived, Fauci explained to Guthrie that the agency’s process is rooted in research. “The CDC makes decisions based on science. They will continually reassess this,” Fauci said. “You’re right, it seems a little strict, a little strict, but that’s the reason they keep watching this and trying to literally re-evaluate in real time if this is the practical way to go.” And to learn more about the places you shouldn’t go, Dr Fauci just said to avoid this unique place, even if you are vaccinated.