By Mary Stetson
The coronavirus pandemic has impacted children in many ways: physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Although older people are more susceptible to the virus, people of all ages, including children and youth, can contract COVID-19.
How to Protect Children from COVID-19
Getting children vaccinated for COVID-19 prevents severe illness from the virus and allows them to participate in school, sports, and other group activities safely.
Vaccines are free for all U.S. residents. Click here to find a COVID-19 vaccine nearby.
Additionally, keeping sick children home and getting them tested for COVID-19 when symptomatic protects them and others. Handwashing and disinfecting surfaces are also important ways to protect children from COVID-19.
COVID-19 Vaccines for Children
Dr. Nusheen Ameenuddin, a Mayo Clinic pediatrician, says, “Vaccination, even if a child still gets sick, makes them much less likely to be sick enough to be hospitalized or die, which, unfortunately, has been happening.”
Additionally, vaccination lowers the risk of severe side effects of COVID-19 such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome. This rare condition can cause inflammation of the heart, kidneys, lungs, eyes, brain, skin, or other body parts—and can be fatal.
Children who are six months and older can get vaccinated for COVID-19, according to the CDC. Booster shots are available for children who are five years and older.
Serious side effects from COVID-19 vaccines are rare, the CDC reports. Getting vaccinated cannot cause children (or anybody) to become sick with COVID-19, as live viruses are not in the vaccines.
Mental Health Impacts of COVID-19
In addition to potential illness, children are experiencing mental health issues, which were already worsening in recent years and have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“The challenges caused by the pandemic turned a bad situation into a crisis. We're approaching a national health emergency,” Dr. Marcus Schabacker, president and CEO of ECRI (Emergency Care Research Institute), says. Depression and anxiety rates in children have increased by almost 30 percent in the years from 2016 to 2020, a 2022 study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found.
Children of minority groups, from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, and LGBTQ children are particularly vulnerable to mental health crises.
Losing parents to COVID-19 is another, often overlooked, impact of the pandemic. Thousands of children in the U.S. have lost at least one parent to COVID-19. Grieving children, without help, can lead to risks such as school issues, drug abuse, and health problems.
I'RAISE counselors working in k-12 schools are trained in grief and loss as well as trauma-informed.
How I’RAISE is Addressing the Pandemic
Our team conducted studies to research and understand the impact of the pandemic on our youth's mental health so we can better support them. We provide care to give attention to the whole child, allowing them to be heard and to heal.
We also received a grant from the Hispanic Federation for our Save Lives COVID-19 Education campaign, which includes COVID-19 education, research, and case management. Click here to learn more about this grant.
Click here to find useful resources on I’RAISE’s COVID-19 Resources page.
Click here for our Children’s COVID-19 Resources page.
Mary Stetson is a marketing intern at I’RAISE. She is a 2022 graduate of Framingham State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English, and is also currently doing a service internship with the Commonwealth Corps. She lives on Cape Cod.
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