Thread by @joingles

The Ohio Department of Health's Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff says COVID cases in Ohio have more than doubled in the past couple of weeks. He says the Delta variant is fast becoming the prominent variant in Ohio.

Vanderhoff says from May to June 2021, 20% of COVID cases were in people under 21 years old. This is also the population with the lowest vaccination rate.

Vanderhoff says scientists have been studying the MRNA delivery process in COVID vaccines for many years. He says they are safe and effective.

Vanderhoff says the side effects of the COVID vaccine are actually positive and can be a sign it is working.

Dr. Patty Manning Courtney with Cincinnati Children's Hospital says children have had some side effects of vaccines that adults have had but to a lesser degree. She says children tolerate the vaccines well.

Dr. Amy Edwards with Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in CLE says myocarditis (swelling of heart muscle) is a very small and rare risk for young vaccinated males but she says it is much more likely to be caused by viruses like COVID.

Edwards says the vast majority of childhood COVID cases come from transmission from adults. She advises adults to get vaccinated and wear masks around young children.

Vanderhoff says the pandemic is taking a real toll on children. He says ODH is considering the AAP's (American Academy of Pediatrics) guidance for kids to wear masks and practice distancing in schools.

Vanderhoff says there are only two choices - get vaccinated or get COVID-19. He says the best path is to get the vaccine because that's the safest choice.

Vanderhoff says we are seeing a pandemic of the unvaccinated right now.

Dr. Edwards says the numbers of kids affected with COVID seem small but she says in reality, kids, who tend to have stronger immune systems, are actually susceptible to COVID.

Dr. Manning-Courtney of Cincinnati Children's says 350 kids are hospitalized with COVID, including babies. She says the risk is real right now but if current vaccination rates/masking continues, it will get even worse for kids.

Vanderhoff says if the FDA grants full approval, he thinks there are people who will get COVID vaccines. He says he's heard people who are concerned that it is now being used on an emergency basis.

Dr. Edwards says the FDA has the data to make the decision to give full approval but she says the process is laborious. She says the red tape is keeping it tied up right now and doesn't believe that will happen until late fall/early winter.

The doctors on this call are repeatedly saying the single thing parents can do to help protect their children is to get vaccinated themselves, especially if they are around children too young to get vaccinated.

Vanderhoff says he expected the Delta variant would be responsible for an increase in COVID cases. He says people who have not received the vaccine are likely going to get COVID. He says it's a matter of when not if.

Vanderhoff says people who are fully vaccinated are very unlikely to get COVID and, in the rare event that they do, the illness is milder and doesn't seem to spread to others.

Vanderhoff says each variant of COVID tends to be more infectious than the previous one. He says Delta is contagious enough that it is now a choice between getting the vaccine or getting COVID.

When it comes to wearing masks, Vanderhoff says he'll offer guidance to the state in the near future. But he stresses vaccine choices. He says the school environment is unique because kids under 12 cannot be vaccinated.

Dr. Edwards says masks are so effective that the hospital didn't see a single case of RSV or flu last year. She says she hopes the practice of masking with kids is here to stay in some form to reduce virus transmission.

Dr. Manning Courtney says she's never seen a child who has been injured by a COVID vaccine but she has seen children who have been damaged by COVID itself.