It's still too early to ease mask mandates in schools

More than a year and a half into the Covid-19 pandemic, the US finds itself facing a new set of parameters: We now have Covid-19 vaccines available for those 5 years of age and older, we have information at our disposal about the effectiveness of mask usage for reducing the risk of disease spread, and we better understand the effect the pandemic can have on children. But while things feel like they are getting better, it is important to remember that the pandemic is not over, particularly since the rise of the Delta variant. We still have over 1,100 Covid-related deaths in the US per day. And as of November 11, children represented over a quarter of all weekly reported Covid-19 cases, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.