Health Measures Expected To Continue In Colorado Schools Next Year, Even With Student Vaccinations

DENVER (CBS4) - The COVID-19 vaccine may get here for school-aged children in September, but pandemic-related health measures may not lift in learning centers until 2022.

"It's very common to be filled with that hope right now, but there's also a lot of unknown," Laura-Anne Cleveland, Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children Associate Chief Nursing Officer.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top leading infectious disease expert, stated last week trials that are underway may prove the vaccine is safe enough for children, and they could start getting the shots around the time they go back to school.

"I think it's like any other vaccine that we have. We want to make sure that we've studied it with children. The clinical studies for Pfizer and some of the other ones that are currently on going they did not include children," Cleveland said.

Cleveland has already received the vaccine but knows the road to herd immunity is still far ahead.

"Number one, there's still that 5% chance, and number two, my body can be fighting it and not be allowing myself to get infected with COVID while still being a silent carrier," Cleveland said.

That means there is a concern that children may get it from adults, even after they are vaccinated.

"A lot times we'll see more of the mild symptoms and there are kids that we thought never had COVID, and the parents can say there's a little bit of a symptom and say that's not COVID and they're tested it was COVID," Cleveland explained.

And this is why Cleveland expects mask-wearing, social distancing, and hand-hygiene to continue far into next year. She also believes supply will determine how quickly kids can get their shots.

"So best case scenario people get the vaccine in September you still have a month to wait for that second vaccine, then you have about 14 days after that, so it's still a month an a half after," she added.

It's also likely that children will have to be receiving two shots for full immunity.  Single-shot vaccines have yet to be even be approved for use in adults.