Child and adolescent COVID-19 vaccination coverage by educational setting, United States.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic changed the setting of education for many children in the U.S. Understanding COVID-19 vaccination coverage by educational setting is important for developing targeted messages, increasing parents' confidence in COVID-19 vaccines, and protecting all children from severe effects of COVID-19 infection. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: Using data from the Household Pulse Survey (n = 25,173) collected from December 9-19, 2022, January 4-16, 2023, and February 1-13, 2023, this study assessed factors associated with COVID-19 vaccination and reasons for non-vaccination among school-aged children 5-11 and adolescents 12-17 by educational setting. RESULTS: Among children 5-11 years, COVID-19 vaccination coverage was higher among those who received in-person instruction (53.7%) compared to those who were homeschooled (32.5%). Furthermore, among adolescents 12-17 years, COVID-19 vaccination coverage was higher among those who received in-person instruction (73.5%) or virtual/online instruction (70.1%) compared to those who were homeschooled (51.0%). Children and adolescents were more likely to be vaccinated if the parental respondent had been vaccinated compared to those who had not. Among children and adolescents who were homeschooled, main reasons for non-vaccination were concern about side effects (45.4-51.6%), lack of trust in COVID-19 vaccines (45.0-50.9%), and lack of trust in the government (32.7-39.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents who were home-schooled during the pandemic had lower vaccination coverage than those who attended school in person, and adolescents who were home-schooled had lower vaccination coverage than those who received virtual instruction. Based on the reasons for non-vaccination identified in this study, increasing parental confidence in vaccines, and reducing barriers to access are important for supporting COVID-19 vaccination for school-age children.

Atmospheric pressure effects on the calibration constant of alpha-track radon detectors.

Accurate determination of the calibration constant is essential for the reliable determination of indoor radon air concentrations using alpha-track detectors. One possible source of error in the application of this method of radon assay is an effect of air density on the calibration factor. Such an effect, if present, could contribute to systematic errors in radon measurements where the calibration facility and the location measured were at different altitudes above sea level. To investigate this question, cellulose nitrate alpha-track detectors were exposed to known air concentrations of 222Rn over a range of air pressure in a systematic study of the effect of simulated altitude on the calibration constant (track density)/(integrated radon exposure). The values obtained for the calibration constant at known air-pressure values were used to establish correction factors as a function of equivalent altitude for this alpha-track method of radon assay. This correction may then be applied to compensate for the effect of altitude on radon-in-air determinations by this method. Altitude effects were evaluated for two detector configurations (the closed-can geometry and the open, or bare-detector geometry). The calibration constants (tracks cm-2) (kBq h m-3)-1 obtained exhibit an inverse relationship with air pressure (i.e., vary directly with altitude). The results indicate (as an example) that for an increase in altitude of approximately 1,000 m above sea level, the calibration constant for Kodak LR 115 II detectors increases by 28% for the closed-can geometry. For an altitude of 1,500 m above sea level, the calibration constant increases by 41% for closed detectors and by 63% for the open (bare) detectors.