Daily Camera guest opinion: Guest Honora Quinn Burnett: Hear this pediatrician parent's plea

Daily Camera - 8/20/2021

Aug. 20—By Honora Quinn Burnett

"I wish I'd gotten vaccinated," sighed the mother over the phone. I could hear her two COVID-19 positive children vying for her attention in the background. They would have to quarantine together in a motel room for the next 10 days. The children would not be able to go to school, socialize with their friends or race around the playground. Worse still, their grandmother was also affected by this transmission chain, and was at that moment hospitalized and critically ill with COVID-19. I let out my own sigh and clutched the phone tighter; with masking and vaccination, this could have all been prevented.

My patients, and so many other children in Boulder, have sacrificed much throughout this pandemic. Children younger than 12 are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, yet perhaps have the most to gain from an in- person educational experience. It has been shown that virtual learning comes with systemic barriers that disproportionately affect children of color. Isolation effects of the pandemic have sent mental health needs skyrocketing, with the Children's Hospital Colorado declaring a "State of Emergency" for youth mental health.

There is no clearer sign: we must prioritize the safe return to school this August for Boulder's children. Kudos must be given to the Boulder CountyBoard of Health who has appropriately mandated masks for all students while inside school settings and child care, and Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) School Board has mirrored this, mandating universal masking in schools for children over 2 years old, faculty, and staff. However, this is only the first step. We must also mandate COVID-19 vaccinations in children over 12 years old, faculty, and staff.

I am a proud recipient of a K-12 BVSD education, a parent of an incoming BVSD kindergartener, a member of the Colorado chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a local pediatrician. My life's work revolves around keeping Colorado's children healthy and learning. I'm convinced of the importance of in person learning and the importance of vaccine requirements for students, teachers and staff.

Critical to returning to in person learning is widespread vaccination; that is why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) have both recommended vaccinations for anyone over 12 years old. These vaccines are safe and effective. Vaccinations protect recipients, decreasing their risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. All vaccines are evaluated by rigorous processes through the CDC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The COVID-19 vaccines also provide herd immunity to protect infants and children who are not yet eligible for the vaccine.

Among the children I care for are patients with disabilities and chronic illness. These children have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 isolation, not being able to easily access the virtual learning resources provided to them through school and their communities. Their loss of in-person learning has been high, as are the risks of returning to the classroom without proper safety measures in place.

This is a clear public health issue, not a political one. BVSD School Board and Boulder CountyBoard of Health, hear this pediatrician parent's plea: take this seriously. You've already taken the first step to require masks in school, now take the second step to require COVID-19 vaccinations in those over 12 years old attending and working in schools. This is our best chance to keep kids healthy and learning while in the classroom.

Boulderites: I implore you, get your family vaccinated, don masks and work together to keep children in school where they belong.

Honora Quinn Burnett lives in Boulder and is a pediatrician, and assistant professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine

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