[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a letter to Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), urging the CDC to provide further public health advice that clarifies how parents, caregivers and immunocompromised individuals can make sound decisions to help keep themselves, their families and their communities safe. This letter was sent in light of the CDC’s recent guidance on mask wearing for fully vaccinated individuals. Duckworth also urged the CDC to issue clear, affirmative guidance around mask wearing in schools, child care, camps and during sports participation.
Duckworth wrote, in part: “Despite the good news about these vaccines, many Americans who may want to get vaccinated have not done so yet, and the virus continues to spread. To date, children under 12 are not eligible to receive any COVID-19 vaccine, and adolescents ages 12 to 15 have only recently become eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Though young people are not as likely as seniors or people with certain pre-existing conditions to become severely ill or die from COVID-19, their health is still at risk. Children now account for over 20 percent of COVID-19 cases in the United States, and several hundred have died. That risk can be mitigated by ubiquitous mask wearing.”
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Duckworth continued: “The American people rely on the CDC to provide clear, easy-to-understand public health advice, guidance and messaging… I therefore respectfully request that the agency provide such guidance for State and local governments planning re-opening procedures, and for the general public. In particular for parents, caregivers and immunocompromised patients would benefit from the clarified guidance, which will help them assess the risk to themselves and the people around them, including children who are too young to wear masks, children who are ineligible for the vaccine or children who are not yet fully vaccinated.”
In March, Duckworth led a letter to CDC, along with U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), calling for more guidance from the CDC on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines for pregnant and lactating individuals. She also led a letter, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), to Dr. Nunez-Smith, chair of the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, to provide guidance and recommendations to states, localities, territories and tribes on how to address disparities and reduce inequities in COVID-19 vaccination rates.
