In the latest US COVID-19 developments, new poll findings highlight fairly high rates of hesitancy about vaccinating young children and the fact that people overwhelmingly feel safe at their worksites.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reissued a recommendation that people wear masks on public transportation.
18% of preschoolers' parents say yes to vaccine
A new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed just 18% of US parents of children younger than 5 years old plan to vaccinate their kids once COVID vaccines for that age-group gain emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
Delays in approving the vaccine for this group has led to hesitancy, with 38% of parents saying they will wait and see before vaccinating their youngest kids. Twenty-seven percent said they will definitely not vaccinate, and 11% said they will vaccinate only if required to do so.
The poll also showed that roughly one third of Americans believe the country is on the brink of another wave of virus activity, while 50% say there is not a wave.
Overall, the vast majority Americans feel safe at work (88%) and confident about sending their child to school (84%) at this point in the pandemic. Still, racial disparities are evident: Black or Hispanic are less likely to feel their child is "very safe" in school than White parents (33% vs 52%).
The United States reported 61,743 new cases yesterday and 745 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracker. The 7-day average of new daily cases is 63,195, with 348 daily deaths, according to the Washington Post tracker.
CDC recommends masking on planes, trains
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has asked the Justice Department to appeal a federal judge's ruling that struck down the national mask mandate for public transportation, has reissued a recommendation for wearing face coverings on public transit and in transportation hubs like airports.
A Florida judge struck down that ruling on Apr 18, which was supposed to be in place until May 3. Yesterday the CDC officially recommended—once again—that all passengers ages 2 and older on planes, trains, and other public transportation wear face coverings to protect against COVID-19.
"When people properly wear a well-fitting mask or respirator, they protect themselves and those around them, and help keep travel and public transportation safer for everyone. Wearing a well-fitting mask or respirator is most beneficial in crowded or poorly ventilated locations, such as airport jetways," the CDC said.
In other news, the CDC Nowcast estimates BA.2 accounts for 61.9% of new US COVID-19 cases, and BA.2.12.1 accounts for 36.5%.
