El Paso doctor recommends kids continue to wear masks at summer school

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Summer school is officially underway for some Borderland students and mask mandates are no longer being enforced. That gives kids the option to show up to school without a face covering.

However, many school-aged children are still not eligible to get the vaccine. Local experts suggest parents should still send their child to school with a mask.

Dr. Ed Michaelson with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center of El Paso said kids still face the threat of bringing covid-19 home and infecting older adults who haven't been vaccinated.

"I don't think Covid-19 is going to disappear," Michaelson said. "We're going to continue to see new people infected with Covid and right now one of the main sources of those infections, couldn't back be young people un-vaccinated who are bringing home to their relatives."

According to the El Paso vaccine dashboard, El Pasoans ages 12 to 15 year old make up five-percent of our vaccinated population.

"If your child is unvaccinated, and they're over 12, get them vaccinated," Michaelson said. "For those kids that can't be vaccinated because they're too young or for some other medical reason, a mask is still a very good idea."

For more on vaccine availability, click here.