Dad shares warning after children allegedly contracted COVID-19 from unvaccinated parent

Philadelphia father-of-two speaks out about continued risk of COVID-19 for children after his son and daughter tested positive for the virus.

Adam Joseph, meteorologist for ABC station WPVI, said his 6-year-old son Jacob and 5-year-old daughter Hannah tested positive for COVID-19 after coming into contact with a relative who was not vaccinated against the virus.

Joseph said the parent tested negative for COVID-19 before the visit with his family, but then tested positive for the virus.

In addition to her children, their nanny has also contracted COVID-19, according to Joseph.

He and her husband, Karl, are both vaccinated and have so far both tested negative for COVID-19.

“We kinda feel like we’ve failed as parents, to some extent, after protecting our kids for almost a year and a half, and we were doing so well,” Joseph said in a commentary. video on Facebook.

Children under 12 are not currently eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was cleared for use in children ages 12 to 15 in May by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The other two COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, are currently only available to people 18 years of age and older in the United States

Joseph’s warning to parents about protecting young children from unvaccinated people comes as senior health officials warn COVID-19 has become an “unvaccinated pandemic” in the United States

MORE: Statistics Show Significant Risks of Not Getting Vaccinated Against COVID-19

In addition to data showing that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are mostly in unvaccinated people, the more transmissible delta variant is increasing COVID-19 cases.

In light of the delta variant, health experts are pushing back Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines in May that fully vaccinated Americans can do without masks.

The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday called on schools to enforce universal masking warrants because so many children will not be protected by fall and schools still have no way to verify the status of the COVID vaccine.

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Unvaccinated people, including children between the ages of 2 and 11, should continue to wear face masks in indoor public places and practice social distancing and hand washing, according to the CDC.

MORE: CDC under pressure to review guidelines as key pediatric group calls for masks in schools

Joseph’s children had symptoms such as fever, chills, and cough, but they are now improving. The nanny and parent of the children are experiencing additional complications from COVID-19, according to Joseph.

“Please if you are not vaccinated don’t bypass children under 12, they are so vulnerable right now,” Joseph said on Facebook. “They have no choice but to get the vaccine at this point.”

“We need to protect our children and make sure they stay healthy because this delta variant affects children. This new delta variant also affects people who are vaccinated,” he said. “It’s everyone’s choice, we’re all adults whether we want to get vaccinated or not. I’m not here to push this. I’m just asking, begging you, if you’re not vaccinated , to wear a mask wherever you go in public, although you don’t have to. “

Anne Flaherty of ABC News contributed to this report.

Dad shares warning after children allegedly contracted COVID-19 from unvaccinated parent initially appeared on goodmorningamerica.com