NewsCoronavirus

Actions

CDC clarifies guidance for summer camps; says US could see sharp COVID-19 decline by July

teen vaccines
Posted at 10:30 AM, May 06, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-06 11:30:38-04

School is almost out and summer is just around the corner. 

For those looking forward to summer camp, the CDC has updated their guidance for teens and kids.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said kids who are vaccinated should be able to take off their face masks if they are outside.

Pfizer's two-dose vaccine is available to those 16 and older, and the FDA is preparing to issue emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine to be given to 12-15-year-olds.

Previous guidance from the CDC had been criticized as too restrictive, it said kids could only remove their masks if they were eating, drinking or swimming.

Walensky also said new projections of infection rates show the U.S. could see a sharp drop in COVID-19 cases by July.

"And the models give us an important reminder, they project that local conditions and emerging variants are putting many states at risk for increases in COVID-19 cases, especially if we do not increase the rate of vaccinations and if we do not keep our current mitigation strategies in place until we have a critical mass of people vaccinated," the CDC director said.

Under the most optimistic scenarios, by the end of July, new weekly cases in the U.S. could drop below 50,000.

Right now, the CDC is reporting an average of 350,000 new cases each week.

This story originally reported on Newsy.com