Dr. Rosemary Stein of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations is unhappy with the federal agency whose new guidelines call it a "priority" for unvaccinated children to wear masks when returning to in-person learning this fall.
"I'm disappointed in the CDC for coming up with such an arbitrary and unscientific rule for our children," she tells One News Now. "They should know better because they're the ones that are saying that children should go back to school, and they understand this because their learning was impaired."
And as the CDC continues to fine-tune its recommendations for fighting COVID-19, Dr. Stein believes it is to no avail.
"For 15 months we've been handling this pandemic all wrong," she asserts. "No matter what we did, the pandemic did what it was going to do. So we do all this social distancing and masking, and the virus is eluding us."
Dr. Stein also points out that clear, scientific proof that masks are undoubtedly effective does not exist.
AAP chimes in
Meanwhile, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is also recommending that all children wear masks in school this fall, even if they are vaccinated. The guidance from AAP is for children over the age of two. AAP also recommends school staff wear masks.
The "layered approach," as it is being called, is meant to combat the spread of COVID-19, especially with new variants being discovered or reported.
"We need to prioritize getting children back into schools alongside their friends and their teachers – and we all play a role in making sure it happens safely," said Sonja O'Leary, co-chair of the AAP Council on School Health in an article on NBCNews.com. "Combining layers of protection that include vaccinations, masking, and clean hands hygiene will make in-person learning safe and possible for everyone."
Twila Brase, RN and president/co-founder of Citizens' Council for Health Freedom, doesn't think this is necessary.
"The American Academy of Pediatrics has had some controversial pronouncements or recommendations – and in this case, I have to say that children are very unlikely to get COVID-19 in any way that is severe," Brase tells American Family News.
"You have to wonder," she continues. "Are they really looking at the data? Or is this just part of the campaign to get everybody vaccinated and they will punish the children? Because people have chosen, and [some of them have] made a choice that they do not want the vaccine."
Editor's note: Section on AAP added after story was originally posted.
