Blondeau outlines options for protecting unvaccinated kids from COVID

The public health orders around COVID-19 may be lifted, but some parents across Saskatchewan may not feel at ease, with young kids not yet vaccinated.

University of Saskatchewan clinical microbiologist Dr. Joseph Blondeau said overall, kids have handled the virus very well, coming out relatively unscathed. However, he pointed out children can still be reservoirs for the virus and be involved in its transmission.

Various vaccine manufacturers are currently studying how well the shots work in kids 12 and under. Blondeau said many are anxiously awaiting the results and he suspects there eventually will be very good data on kids between two and 12.

“What’s going to happen in those that are less than two, I think, is anybody’s guess until we actually see the data. But my thinking is that we’ll probably see the vaccines to be safe and efficacious,” Blondeau told Gormley on Monday.

An exact time frame of when that data may come out is not known with certainty.

In the meantime, with the Saskatchewan government no longer requiring people to wear masks and removing limits on gathering sizes and any other COVID measures, parents may wonder how to protect their kids, especially among those who are unvaccinated.

“You can make a decision whether or not you want to put yourself in a situation where the possibility of being next to somebody who may be transmitting the virus exists to just avoid that situation,” explained Blondeau.

If families can’t or choose not to avoid those situations, he said that’s where mask usage and distancing can still play a role.

“You just have to seriously weigh the potential pros and cons of putting your child in a situation where there’s possibly an individual that could be transferring the virus and either decide not to participate in that event or use those other precautions,” Blondeau said.