8 thoughts on “No Decision on How Schools Will Operate in Fall, Officials Prepping for Three Scenarios

  1. Food for Thought:
    Monday on MSNBC, host Craig Melvin was stunned after NBC News/MSNBC medical correspondent Dr. John Torres’ segment featuring pediatricians saying they would send their kids back to school in the fall with proper precautions like mask-wearing and social distancing plans in place.
    Torres interviewed Dr. Yvonne Maldonado in California, Dr. Shilpa A. Patel in New Jersey, Dr. William V. Raszka in Vermont, Dr. Jennifer Lighter in New York and Dr. Buddy Creech in Tennesse.
    Melvin said, “We’re hearing a lot from government officials as schools look to reopen during this pandemic but, it’s paramount that we also hear from public health experts. NBC’s Dr. John Torres talked with a group of them about the crucial factors patients need to consider when deciding whether to send their kids back to the classroom.”
    Torres said, “As schools struggle with reopening safely, NBC News reached out to five top pediatricians across the country. A random sampling of doctors to find out just how dangerous the coronavirus is for kids. Our experts agree most children don’t get as sick as adults and that serious complications are rare.”
    He added, “In fact, kids only account for 2% of all cases. doctors say they don’t expect that number to significantly increase when schools open because kids don’t appear to be good at spreading the virus.”
    Dr. Lighter said, “The data that’s come out now seems to show that most transmissions occur from adults to adults or adults to children.”
    Torres said, “While many teachers are concerned about reopening school so soon, the five doctors we spoke to agree the benefits of being in the classroom far outweigh the risk of disease. But the key is to reopen safely.”
    He added, “All agreed, guidelines should include rules for social distancing, keep desks 3 to 6 feet apart and make sure desks are facing away from each other. They may want to consider holding gym classes outside.”
    Torres asked, “Would you let your kids go back to school?”
    Dr. Patel said, “I will. My kids are looking forward to it.”
    Dr. Raszka said, “Yes, period.”
    Dr. Lighter said, “Absolutely. as much as I can.”
    She added, “Without a hesitation, yes.”
    Dr. Creech said, “I have no concerns about sending my child to school in the fall.”
    Dr. Maldonado said, “I would let my kids go back to school.”
    After the segment ended a shocked looking, Melvin said, “They all said yes.”

  2. I think I may have been misunderstood. I apologize if I was unclear.

    To clarify, the article I discussed did not show the opposite. It showed that no conclusive claims can be made about what role school settings have played in the spread of COVID.

    The claim that school settings are less likely to support the spread of COVID, vs other similar indoor settings, has yet to be demonstrated. There are absolutely examples that show spread within school settings. For example, the French High School study that found antibodies in 25% of students, teachers, siblings and family members associated with that cluster.

    Also, there is no conclusive evidence that infected children are less likely to transmit coronavirus. The studies the state cite are very limited and need to be viewed through a lens that accounts for strain variants. This is an ongoing and active area of research and discussion.

    My main point was that some of the claims the state are using to justify the reopening guidelines are not supported by the evidence.

    Without those claims I don’t think it is prudent for the state to recommenced less than 6 feet social distancing and not require masks in grades K and 1st – something that may only be feasible with a hybrid model

    • That link is an opinion article from a conservative website. Not the best place to find academic articles and studies done by actual doctors.

      Doctors, nurses and basically all public workers now wear masks for 8+ hours a day. Myself included. Yes it’s uncomfortable but no you will not become ill from “breathing your own CO2”. Any discomfort caused by wearing a mask certainly outweighs the alternative outcome of becoming infected.
      It’s fine to ask questions and educate yourself but unless you have a valid suggestion for an alternative, comments like this are largely unhelpful and spread more nonsense.

    • I wonder what the compliance rate is for wearing masks and socially distancing as a country is too…does it correlate with low rates thus lower rates in school? In the article it talks about opening schools that are only in low infection rates. The kids also wear masks and socially distance themselves(again would be interesting to see if they are compliant:>).

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