CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen on Thursday addressed the CDC guidelines advising a full-time return to the classroom for students with mitigation measures in place.
Wen said on “CNN Newsroom” that children who are unable to get the vaccine “should still be wearing masks indoors, including in the classroom.”
“[I]’m glad that the CDC came out with very strong guidance saying two things can happen at once,” Wen stated. “One is that schools should be opened full time for in-person instruction, and two, that this could be done safely if mitigation measures are put into place. I think that ‘if’ is really important because we keep talking about these two COVID nations: the people getting vaccinated and those getting infected. But I don’t want to put all of our young children into the category of those infected.”
“Right now, I think there is this narrative again that vaccination is just about you, but I don’t understand this personal choice that some people are making,” she continued. “I mean, what kind of choice is it to infect other people, including other people’s children? And so, I think parents should know that they need to do their best to protect their children by getting vaccinated themselves, as Dr. Wilensky very well said. And I think we also have to keep in mind that indoor masking remains important for our young children. If they’re not yet able to be vaccinated, they should still be wearing masks indoors, including in the classroom.”
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