Back To School Edition: COVID-19 Vaccines & Mask Mandates

<p>This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine">Pfizer full approval for its COVID-19 vaccine</a>. </p><p>Schools around the country also started to reopen for the 2021-2022 school year. With schools reopening and the Delta variant of COVID-19 flaring up across the US, many are bringing up the pros and cons of mask mandates in schools in addition to COVID-19 vaccine access to young children.<br> <br>In today's episode of <em>Health Affairs This Week</em>, Senior Editors Rob Lott and Jessica Bylander weigh the perspectives for both topics as parents prepare for the new school year.</p><p><a href="https://healthaffairs.activehosted.com/f/67">Sign up to the the <em>Health Affairs Today </em>newsletter for more Back-To-School Essentials content during the week of August 30, 2021</a>. In the newsletter, we will promote past <em>Health Affairs</em> content for future health policy experts. </p><p><strong>Related Links:</strong></p><ul> <li> <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/adolescents.html">COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens</a> (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)</li> <li> <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-covid-19-vaccine">FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine</a> (FDA)</li> <li> <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20210816.308933/full/">As Schools Reopen, It's Time To Increase Funding For School-Based Health Centers</a> (<em>Health Affairs Blog</em>)</li> <li> <a href="https://www.aap.org/en/pages/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-infections/children-and-covid-19-state-level-data-report/">Children and COVID-19: State-Level Data Report</a> (American Academy of Pediatrics)</li> <li> <a href="https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/the-delta-variant-im-vaccinated-should-i-wear-a-mask">The Delta Variant: I’m Vaccinated. Should I Wear A Mask?</a> (Johns Hopkins University)</li> </ul><p><br>Su