Breaking news in what seems to be a never-ending pandemic. The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday released new guidance that takes a stricter position than the guidelines issued earlier this month by the US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

The AAP released new guidance for schools in which they strongly support in-person learning but recommend universal masking in schools of everyone over the age of 2 regardless of their vaccination status.

WUPE logo
Get our free mobile app

The AAP, the leading organization of pediatricians in the nation, said it’s recommending universal masking because so many students are not yet eligible for coronavirus vaccines. Plus, masks have proven to reduce transmission and offer some protection to those who have not been vaccinated.

The AAP is calling this new guidance "a layered approach." Sonja O’Leary, chair of the AAP Council on School Health, had this to say:

We need to prioritize getting children back into schools alongside their friends and their teachers — and we all play a role in making sure it happens safely. Combining layers of protection that include vaccinations, masking and clean hands hygiene will make in-person learning safe and possible for everyone.

It is also the AAP's recommendation that school staff should also wear masks at school unless they have a medical or developmental condition that prohibits this. The AAP's guidance is markedly different than the CDC's which also prioritized in-person learning but advised that fully vaccinated teachers, staff, and students don't need to wear masks at school.

This new guidance comes at a time when safety risks are growing as new more contagious COVID-19 variants have emerged that also present the risk of potential worsening illness.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, acknowledged the differing guidance could cause some confusion but noted that the CDC’s guidance allows for local states, cities, and other agencies to make their own judgments.

For more information, check out the new guidance page on the AAP's website here.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

LOOK: The most popular biblical baby names

To determine the most popular biblical baby names, Stacker consulted the name origin site Behind the Name and the Social Security Administration's baby names database then ranked the top 50 names from Behind the Name's Biblical Names origins list of 564 names, based on how many babies had been given these names in 2019. Click through to find out which biblical names have stood the test of time.

KEEP READING: Here are the most popular baby names in every state

Using March 2019 data from the Social Security Administration, Stacker compiled a list of the most popular names in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., according to their 2018 SSA rankings. The top five boy names and top five girl names are listed for each state, as well as the number of babies born in 2018 with that name. Historically common names like Michael only made the top five in three states, while the less common name Harper ranks in the top five for 22 states.

Curious what names are trending in your home state? Keep reading to see if your name made the top five -- or to find inspiration for naming your baby.

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Stacker used data from the 2020 County Health Rankings to rank every state's average life expectancy from lowest to highest. The 2020 County Health Rankings values were calculated using mortality counts from the 2016-2018 National Center for Health Statistics. The U.S. Census 2019 American Community Survey and America's Health Rankings Senior Report 2019 data were also used to provide demographics on the senior population of each state and the state's rank on senior health care, respectively.

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

More From WUPE