UChicago Medicine infectious diseases specialist says children should wear masks at school

UChicago doctor says children should wear masks at school
Photo credit Drazen Zigic/ Getty Images

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — As school boards and superintendents debate mask mandates when students return to class, a local pediatric infectious disease specialist is urging them to keep them on.

With so many schools and daycares closed last year and kids wearing masks and staying apart, University of Chicago Medicine's Dr. Allison Bartlett said they saw a few cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza virus (PIV).

But now they're seeing winter-like numbers of children being admitted to the hospital with breathing problems.

"Our children's hospitals are bursting at the seams in the summer, which is unusual because of all those winter respiratory viruses that are back," Bartlett told WBBM Newsradio.

She encourages districts to require masks for all kids and adults in schools, even vaccinated ones, saying it's an extra layer of protection against the incredibly transmissible Delta variant.

This is especially the case since children under 12 aren't likely to be eligible for vaccination till at least this fall.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Drazen Zigic/ Getty Images