The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Sunday that children can go Trick or Treating this year but only if they follow some rules.
One America News Network said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky made the announcement in an interview with CBS' "Face The Nation" that children would be able to celebrate Halloween safely this year. However, the director warned against large-group indoor gatherings.
"If you're able to be outdoors, absolutely. I wouldn't necessarily go to a crowded Halloween party, but I think that we should be able to let our kids go trick-or-treating in small groups," Walensky said.
Walensky's announcement comes in light of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine being prepared for emergency approval for use in children aged 5 to 11. Currently, Pfizer has been approved for children aged 12 to 15. OANN highlighted Newsmax contributor and medical expert Dr. David Samadi tweeting that Pfizer is seeking emergency authorization for the administration of the vaccine to young children.
"Pfizer is now saying that their COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children 5-11 years old and will seek emergency FDA authorization," Samadi announced.
Samadi also revealed that studies show that deaths from COVID-19 affected minors and that half of those who died had "an underlying complex disability."
"In England, studies found that COVID-19 caused 25 deaths in people under 18 between March 2020 and February 2021," he added. "About half of those deaths were in individuals with an underlying complex disability with high health-care needs, such as tube feeding or assistance with breathing."
Prior to Walensky's announcement, the CDC released on Friday a press releasing highlighting schools with masking policies registered lesser cases of COVID-19. The said press release was based on three studies from the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report", which stress the importance and effectiveness of using layered strategies of prevention for in-person education.
"These studies found that school districts without a universal masking policy in place were more likely to have COVID-19 outbreaks. Nationwide, counties without masking requirements saw the number of pediatric COVID-19 cases increase nearly twice as quickly during this same period," the CDC pointed out.
"These studies continue to demonstrate the importance and effectiveness of CDC's Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools to help districts ensure safer in-person learning and stop the spread of COVID-19," the agency added. "Promoting vaccination of eligible persons, mask wearing, and screening testing are all proven methods to continue to work towards the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Alongside recommendations for the upcoming Halloween, CDC also announced through its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that people aged 65 and above should receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster six months after completing their vaccination. The CDC laid specific requirements for people aged 18 and above regarding the receipt of the booster, providing them the leeway to actually get it based on their underlying medical conditions.
A CDC report said 75% of the population in the United States for ages 12 and above have already received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
