The covid, children and school: seven simple steps to keep them safe

For this time last year, the Coronavirus pandemic kept the Florida schools closed and forced students to continue their virtual learning from home.Now, with the beginning of another school year, COVID-19 is still an unwanted visitor in classrooms through the State.And now with the Delta variant breaking records in terms of cases of cases and hospitalizations, experts say that young students who return to school during this season have the same risk of contracting the virus they had last year and perhaps even more.

"The Delta variant has changed the panorama because it is so transmissible," says TinaCarroll-Scott, M.D., director of South Miami Children’s Clinic, which is supported by South Miami Hospital.“More children are infected and intensive care are requiring this time.We are even seeing babies with Covid-19 ".

DORSEY GOOSBY, M.D., Director of Medical Information of Baptist Health and Pediatric Specialist for more than 40 years, echoes the Evaluation of DRA.Carroll-Scott."About 25 percent of all cases of Covid we are seeing are pediatric patients, and many of these children end in respirators," he says."Pediatric hospitals everywhere are at the limit of their capacity".

Complicating things is the matter that some people are reluctant to vaccinate or use facial masks, according to DR.Goosby."Social distancing and hand washing are helping, but vaccines themselves have proven incredibly effective to keep people out of the hospital," he says.

The most important thing you can do, according to DR.Goosby, es mantenerse informado al obtener información esencial de fuentes confiables."Do not get television medical news," he advises."For the most accurate and updated information about the COVID-19, go to the CDC website, the Florida Health Department or the American Academy of Pediatrics".Or, according to him, talk to your doctor or your pediatrician."They stay up to all the latest news and they know the health of their children better than anyone".

Now that children are finally returning to classrooms and Pfizer's vaccine has received full approval by the FDA, DRA.Carroll-Scott dice que, como adultos y como padrea, “tenemos la responsabilidad de hacer lo correcto”, y mantenerlos en la escuela."That means vaccinating and if you and your child are eligible, and make masks and other mitigation strategies part of everyone's daily routine in your family," she says.Dra.Carroll-Scott piensa que las vacunas contra la COVID-19 serán aprobadas por la Administración de Drogas y Alimentos de los EE.UU.(FDA0 for children between five and 11 years of age within next month, and perhaps during the next year for children under 5 years old.

Meanwhile, what steps can be taken to avoid exposure to COVID-19 and to keep your children healthy this school year?DavidMishkin, M.D., Emergency Medicine Specialist with Baptist Health, offers these seven simple steps to keep COVID-19 out of classrooms:

1. Elija una buena mascarilla. Según los Centros Para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades de los EE.UU. (CDC), su mascarilla facial debe tener dos o más capas de tejido lavable y transpirable; cubrir completamente la nariz y la boca; ajustarse bien a los lados de la cara sin dejar espacios, y tener un alambre nasal para evitar que el aire se escape por la parte superior de la mascarilla. Los CDC recomiendan evitar las mascarillas que queden demasiado sueltas, así como las que tengan una válvula de exhalación, y lavar las mascarillas a diario.

Although your child takes all precautions to stay safe at school, dr.Mishkin warns that there is still the possibility that they can be exposed to another student, teacher or staff member who has COVID-19 and does not know.If you suspect that your child can have Covid, the dr.MISHKIN suggests programming an urgent pediatric attention visit through the Baptist Health Care On demand application.

"A virtual visit with one of our doctors through Baptist Health Care On Demand is an easy and convenient way to obtain an initial advice about the symptoms of your child," says Dr.Mishkin."If these symptoms require a more detailed evaluation, they can refer to a nearby center of Baptist Health Urgent Care or URgent Care Express for diagnosis and treatment".If the child needs to be hospitalized, young patients are in excellent hands in Baptist Health, who collaborates with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for pediatric admissions in the Miami area.

The best advice, according to DR.Mishkin, es evitar contagiarse con la COVID-19 en primer lugar."Now we have a vaccine approved by the FDA," he says."This not only protects you against COVID-19, including the Delta variant, but also keep you out of the hospital if you were one of the small fraction of the population that experiences an infection after the vaccine".

The doctor.Mishkin dice que ciertos segmentos de la población están en más riesgo para contraer el coronavirus o para experimentar una enfermedad grave, y que deben considerar muy seriamente ponerse la vacuna.

“If you are 12 years old or more;If you are an adult who has any type of contact with children, especially with those under 12 who are not eligible for the vaccine;If you are a pregnant woman;Or if you or any member of your family have a committed immune system, the time to put on the vaccine is now ”, implores the DR.Mishkin."When vaccinating and collaborating together in sensitive mitigation strategies, we can advance them to Coronavirus and ensure that our children can be safe at school".

Tags: COVID-19, DavidMishkin M.D., DorseyGoosby M.D., TinaCarroll-Scott M.D.