Los Angeles County public health officials are concerned about the rise in COVID-19 cases among children.
With kids going back to school and community transmission high, the increase is not a surprise even with masks required indoors and other safety precautions in place on campus.
Among those 12 to 18 years old, unvaccinated kids have a case rate that's more than four times higher than that of vaccinated kids.
Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said keeping children safe goes beyond what is happening in the classroom.
“We all need to do our part on that. It's not just at schools that we need to layer protection, it’s outside of schools as well. If we want to see a reduction in the number of children that are getting infected, we’re going to have to do a lot,” she said.
Starting with, all the adults around them and the teens around them need to get fully vaccinated. That really lessens the chance of passing on transmission to your child or someone else's child," added Ferrer.
Only children age 12 and older can get vaccinated currently and only with the Pfizer vaccine. Many schools will be offering vaccinations over the coming weeks, including L.A. Unified.
Ferrer said other steps you can take to prevent transmission, protect kids and keep schools open include moving activities outdoors, distancing and avoiding crowds.