Los Angeles Times Don t Panic How Parents With Kids Too Young to Vaccinate Can Navigate Omicron Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 26 January 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles Los Angeles Times Don t Panic How Parents With Kids Too Young to Vaccinate Can Navigate Omicron Cedars-Sinai experts advise masking for kids, even on the playground, to keep them safe amid the ongoing omicron surge. Photo by Getty Images. Portrait of of School kid wearing protective face mask for pollution or virus, Child in school uniform wearing protection mask and showing thumbs up while waiting for school bus in the morning. (Portrait of of School kid wearing protective face mask f The Los Angeles Times recently spoke with Cedars-Sinai infectious disease specialist Catherine Le, MD, and pediatric infectious disease specialist Priya Soni, MD, about protecting young children against the highly contagious omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. More children are being hospitalized with the omicron variant than with previous variants, but that's because the new variant is more infectious, not more dangerous, Le told the Times. Viruses naturally evolve this way because a virus that kills its host can’t survive, Le said. Still, children who contract any variant are at risk for complications, including long COVID-19—symptoms that persist for weeks or months—and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), which Le called "rare but scary" because it can result in organ failure. Children 5 and older are currently eligible for vaccination against COVID-19, and Soni and other experts recommended the vaccine as safe and effective. They also advised making sure everyone eligible who is in close contact with children is vaccinated. Soni also advised masking, even on the playground. "We now recommend that children, even as they’re going back to school, remain masked in heavily populated outdoor spaces," said Soni. Masks are not recommended for children 2 or younger, and parents of these children can make them safer by increasing physical distancing, according to the Los Angeles Times article. Because omicron symptoms—including fever, dry cough, sore throat, body aches and runny nose—mimic those of the common cold, Soni recommended COVID-19 testing for children who develop these symptoms. Click here to read the complete article from the Los Angeles Times. Related Stories RSS feed - Related Stories (opens in new window) View all headlines - Related Stories HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries October 07, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles HealthDay recently interviewed Rebecca J. Schneyer, MD, a resident in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency Program at Cedars-Sinai, about a study she led that found Black and Hispanic women were less likely than white women to receive minimally … Read more KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot October 06, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles KCRW program Press Play recently featured Rita Shane, PharmD, vice president and chief pharmacy officer at Cedars-Sinai, discussing who qualifies for the updated COVID-19 booster and how long patients must wait before getting the shot.The Centers … Read more ABC 7 Spider-Man Swings by 4-Year-Old Leukemia Patient s Birthday Party at Cedars-Sinai September 30, 2022 09:00 AM America/Los_Angeles ABC 7 recently profiled Cedars-Sinai patient Jabari Henley, who celebrated his fourth birthday with a special superhero at Guerin Children's newly opened inpatient facility.The Lifedriven Foundation helped throw Henley a surprise party in the Guerin … Read more Show previous items Show next items Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Share this release Los Angeles Times Don t Panic How Parents With Kids Too Young to Vaccinate Can Navigate Omicron Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW Want New Omicron Booster Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home