As we near the usual beginning of the school year as with everything else Covid there is no concensus on kids going back to school. I would be crazy if I were a parent with a school age child with the barrage of information and opinions. This morning I’ve worked on finding out the REAL SCIENCE of children going back to school. Difficult information to find, but this article from Science Magazine from July 7 is really good and filled with FACTS, not unbased opinions.
Children rarely develop severe symptoms from COVID. There was an “inflammatory” condition which seems to follow infection in some children but it appears uncommon and generally treatable. Some of the concerns about children not attending school are that their non-socializing will create longer term issues. Many children also depend on schools for their primary nutritional source. The success of “virtual” schooling is also unknown. By early June 20 countries re-opened their schools. Some had strict mask rules and others optional. Some allowed free contact and others less. Some re-closed if someone got Covid and others just quarantined the sick students and/or staff.
Here’s what else we know. Several studies have found that overall, people under age 18 are between one-third and one-half as likely as adults to contract the virus, and the risk appears lowest for the youngest children. In France epidemiologists looked at their schools. In the high school, antibody testing showed that 38% of pupils, 43% of teachers, and 59% of nonteaching staff had been infected. In six elementary schools, they found a total of three children who had caught the virus, likely from family members, and then attended school while infected. But, as far as the researchers could tell, those younger children didn’t pass the virus on to any close contacts.
The conclusion of that French study: High school students have to be very careful as they often have mild disease but they ARE contagious. Children younger than 11 or 12, on the other hand, “probably don’t transmit very well. Other studies have also suggested that elementary school pupils pose a smaller threat than older students. An outbreak at a New Zealand high school before that country’s shutdown infected 96 people, including students, teachers, staff, and parents. In contrast, a neighboring elementary school saw few cases.
How about Day Care Centers? In Texas, where overall cases have skyrocketed, at least 894 preschool staff and 441 children across 883 facilities have tested positive, according to news reports. That’s up from 210 total cases just a few weeks ago. Transmissions DO occur even if the children aren’t very sick.
When schools in Europe did reopen they adopted varying strategies. Small play groups, outdoor classes, spread out seating arrangements. The Netherlands is allowing free play without distancing. Some are advising at least 1 meter distance. So as you can see …..still no concensus on how to do this!
What about masks? In Asia masks were common before Covid and they ARE being worn in schools. Without getting into THIS debate again……. “For me, masks are part of the equation” for slowing the spread of COVID-19 in schools, especially when distancing is difficult, says Susan Coffin, an infectious disease physician at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Respiratory droplets are a major mode of [virus] transmission,” she says, and wearing a mask places an obstacle in those droplets’ path.” …….If someone from CHOP isn’t smarter than us on this topic who is?? Your FaceBook friend???
So the real concern is children transmitting the disease to teachers and family. No one seems sure what to do ….around the world…..when someone in school is found to have Covid. In general there HAS NOT been an increase in Covid rates within the population where schools re-opened. U.S. schools are scrambling to have a policy on this over the next few weeks.
So what do I think? I think children should return to elementary schools, lots of open windows and outdoor play when possible. Teachers with underlying conditions probably don’t belong there unless they are comfortable with it. As for older students like high school I think it’s not nearly as clear. Clearly that age student had MUCH higher positivity rates and also transmit the virus more effectively. Florida’s current surge seems to have started with large groups of young people (and others) that I literally heard say “I’m DONE with all of the masks and spacing!” High school students can adapt to virtual schooling for awhile and MANY recent graduates will be doing exactly that with the colleges and universities they were SUPPOSED to be attending. High school contact sports?…..weekly testing and take temperatures daily. Sporting events, band, plays and other social events they can share with families……. with good distancing and masks for spectators. FOR AWHILE until we know more…….
The article with lots more! https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/07/school-openings-across-globe-suggest-ways-keep-coronavirus-bay-despite-outbreaks