For this family, COVID vaccine a beacon of hope
GREENWICH — For nearly the entire school year, Imogen and James Buck have been enrolled in remote school.
It’s how they started the year and, despite an expected federal ruling that would allow younger teems to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, it’s likely how they will end it.
But with a vaccine for children on the horizon, the end of isolation is in sight for Imogen, 15, and James, 13, after over a year. A return to in-person school seems possible, even if it must wait until fall 2021.
“It’s been tough for them,” their mother, Allyson Buck, said of her children’s year of remote schooling. “It’s been much easier at the high school because there are so many remote kids. But for my son, he’s pretty much the only one in this stage in a lot of classes. So that’s really difficult . ... It’s been very challenging for him.”
The drug-maker Pfizer has said that the federal Food and Drug Administration will likely approve the BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 12 to 15 years old by early next week. An announcement from the FDA should come “shortly,” Pfizer Chairman and CEO Peter Bourla said Tuesday.
For many parents of middleand high-school students, they say the development is a happy one that will help to keep their children safe. For the Bucks, the news is especially significant.
The family’s youngest child, Sam, is a 10-year-old with a rare condition known as vanishing white matter disease, which causes rapid neurological deterioration. Febrile episodes can cause the condition to worsen and result in coma or death for Sam.
“A fever, any fever, causes the white matter in his brain to literally disappear,” Allyson Buck said. “When that white matter disappears, he then loses motor control and he doesn’t get it back. And then, very often, fevers will lead to additional problems like urinary tract infections or pneumonia. So, really it’s the fever that’s the main concern for us. That’s the risk to him.”
Even in prepandemic times, the Bucks had to be unusually cautious to protect Sam. But the stakes have been particularly high during the COVID-19 pandemic. The family has seen a few friends in socially distanced, masked settings. But they have been severely limited.
Allyson Buck said she and her husband are already vaccinated, and as soon as possible, they will make appointments for Imogen and James to follow suit. “I think it just gives us an extra layer of protection, which we all greatly appreciate,” Allyson Buck said.
Since students 16 and older became eligible April 1 to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Greenwich Public Schools has distributed information on the vaccine and scheduling, though it has not organized any student-specific vaccination clinics. According to the state Department of Public Health, non-Alliance district’s such as Greenwich — an Alliance District is one of the state’s 33 lowest performing districts, which had vaccine priority — could start holding clinics in May.
Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones did not indicate whether the district would consider organizing such a vaccine clinic.
“As has been our practice, we will share information with our district families should additional information about vaccinations become available,” Jones said. “We would plan to share details about this age group and opportunities to obtain a vaccine with our district parents so that they are able to make informed decisions for their family. Additionally, should our partners at Yale New Haven Hospital offer a specialized clinic for this age group, we would share those details with our families, as we did for the clinic they offered to high school students."
Whether the school district offers a clinic or not, the Bucks will be eager to schedule the appointments for their older two children, assuming the FDA gives approval next week.
“Obviously with Sam not being vaccinated, with rest of family eases our minds a little bit,” Allyson Buck said. “For my other kids, it means they can probably go back to school and start to have a bit more of a life, which will make a big difference for us. It’s actually a huge deal for us.”