Another 12,000 children were infected with covid-19 in the US 0:40
(CNN) -
Children are likely to pay the price for adults in the US who are not vaccinated at rates high enough to slow or slow the spread of COVID-19, which has increased in most countries. states, warned a vaccine expert.
Dr. Peter Hotez, a vaccinologist and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor School of Medicine, told CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday that if vaccination rates among adults and children 12 and older continue to lag half If the virus spreads further, the younger members of the population will be the most affected.
"Transmission will continue to accelerate ... and those who will also pay the price, in addition to unvaccinated adolescents, are young children who depend on adults and adolescents to get vaccinated to slow or stop transmission."
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In 46 states, the rates of new cases in the past week are at least 10% higher than the rates of new cases the previous week, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
In Los Angeles County, the most populous in the country, there has been a 500% increase in cases over the past month, according to the latest county health data.
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While cases are increasing, only 48.1% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
And while many may ignore the risk of low vaccination rates for children, citing their low death rates from covid-19, Hotez said they are still at risk for serious complications.
The delta variant leaves children vulnerable to covid-19.
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In Mississippi, seven children are in intensive care with COVID-19 and two are hooked up to ventilators, state health official Dr. Thomas Dobbs tweeted Tuesday night.
Many more teens could be hospitalized, Hotez said, adding that up to 30% of infected children will develop prolonged covid.
Scientists are now learning about the neurological consequences of prolonged covid, Hotez added.
Some studies have shown impacts on the brains of people who have been infected with the virus.
A study conducted in April found that 34% of COVID-19 survivors received a diagnosis of a neurological or psychological condition within six months of being infected.
"What they are doing is condemning an entire generation of adolescents to totally unnecessary neurological injury," Hotez said.
"It is absolutely heartbreaking and more than frustrating for vaccine scientists like me to see this happen."
Debate on vaccine mandates
With experts stressing the importance of vaccinating the majority of Americans against the virus, some officials are debating whether to make vaccination mandatory locally.
Some schools and employers have already implemented measures that require students and employees to be vaccinated before returning.
Last month, Morgan Stanley announced that unvaccinated employees, guests and customers would be kicked out of its New York headquarters.
In April, Houston Methodist, a network of eight hospitals, said it would require all of its employees to get vaccinated.
Of the 26,000 employees, 153 resigned or were fired for refusing the vaccine.
That same month, the American College Health Association issued a policy statement recommending vaccination against COVID-19 for all college students and on campus for the upcoming fall semester, where law and state resources allow.
But many states are mobilizing to block such requirements.
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A CNN analysis found that at least seven states - Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Montana, Oklahoma and Utah - have enacted legislation this year that would restrict public schools from requiring coronavirus shots or documentation of vaccination status.
This legislation is terrifying for the nation's 48 million Americans under the age of 12, former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told CNN's Erin Burnett on Tuesday.
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Vaccines are currently only available in the US for people 12 years of age and older.
"If we start to put the focus on children and we want children to go back to school, which is what we all say is the priority, then we have to be more serious about employers, schools and universities giving a step up and say 'it's great' if you don't want to get vaccinated. But if you don't, you really can't get access to places that put you in contact with people who can't get vaccinated, '"Sebelius said.
One thing the federal government can do to support vaccine mandates is to accelerate the full authorization of available vaccines, he said.
"Getting full approval, going out of emergency use authorization and getting full approval is something that will clear up any legal questions that private employers may have," Sebelius said.
What can sudden increases mean for the school year?
Most health officials and experts have emphasized the importance of students being able to safely return to school in the new academic year, but vaccinations in vaccinations could affect how districts move forward.
Only a quarter of Americans ages 12 to 15 are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data released Tuesday by the CDC, making them the age group with the lowest vaccination rate.
California high schools were ordered Monday to turn students off campus for refusing to wear face covers in class, but the rules were revised just hours later to give schools more freedom to implement the protocol.
Despite initial guidance that says, "Schools must exclude students from campus if they are not exempt from wearing a face shield per [California Department of Public Health] guidelines and refuse to wear one provided by the school "Alex Stack, a spokesman for Governor Gavin Newsom's office, insists that the intention was not to turn away the students.
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"The way [the guide] was written did not accurately reflect the intent, so it was rewritten," Stack told CNN, acknowledging that the statement appeared to be a "ban on children."
"It's important to get this right so parents and students know what to expect as the school year begins."
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city guide could change as the school year approaches, but for now families should assume the masks will continue to be used in schools beginning in September.
"We have been constantly working with the CDC, but also in this case we have been very careful given everything the city has been through ... for now, we continue with the idea that, you know, wearing the masks is the smart thing to do it can be done in schools, "De Blasio said.
CNN's Alexandra Meeks, Lauren Mascarenhas, Deidre McPhillips, Laura Ly, Cheri Mossburg, and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
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