Covid-19 Return to School Info 2021
Thank you to Dr.Trey Dobson, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Southwestern Vermont Medical Center
· The positive cases involving children around the region have prompted – as we expected – appropriate concern from parents as well as heightened anxiety and confusing on testing needs
· We have responded to the increased testing needs and continue to pursue for novel testing processes to improve access
· The difficulty is determining
o Which kids meet the definition of close contact and therefore need to quarantine
o When they should test
o How to handle siblings
o https://www.cdc.gov/
· Below are a few common questions and answers
o My 3rd grader, Johnny John Johnson, was identified as a close contact. When and where does he test?
–Johnny (does he go by John or Johnny?) should quarantine from everyone, which can be done, although realistically, you will still need to provide him some support
–Wear a mask
–He needs PCR testing at day 2 after exposure and day 7
–Go to https://svhealthcare.org/ and select “Get tested for COVID-19”
https://www.healthvermont.gov/
My 3rd grader was identified as a close contact. His sister is in the 5th grade. Does she quarantine and test too?
–Johnny needs to quarantine from Anne
–Having a young family member quarantine and keeping siblings away is doable and recommended for safety and to keep siblings from missing school – yes, it is not easy, no doubt
–Anne does not need to quarantine unless Johnny’s test turns positive
–This answer causes angst and concern in some
o Anne is a contact of a contact, and the risk is significantly low that she can go to school and continue to mask and distance as required unless Johnny has a positive test
o If contacts of contacts were required to quarantine, then people would be out of school and work at an unsustainable level
Holding in-person school – or in-person work or event – inevitably carries some level of risk that we have to accept in order to function as a society.
My 3rd grader tested positive. His sister is in the 5th grade. Does she quarantine and test too?
-Yes
–She tests at day 2 after exposure and day 7
Wait! My 3rd grader tested positive. His brother is in 10th grade. You told me he doesn’t have to quarantine!
–Correct, he does not … because he is vaccinated
–He needs to wear a mask when in the presence of others and test at day 2 after exposure and day 7
My 3rd grader tested positive. I got him tested the next day and the following day, and both results were negative. Can he go to school, because that is a false positive, right?
–No
–It is impossible to know whether the test was a false positive
–Because the prevalence of the virus is high, the chance of a true positive is much more likely than a false positive
o Thus, it is reasonable to assume his first test detected the presence of virus, and
o That the amount of virus present dropped below threshold for detection by the time of the second and third test
Wait! My husband is a nurse, and he tested positive. Then he tested the next day and the following day, and both results were negative, and you said he could go back to work! You are giving conflicting information from the question above.
–Your husband is vaccinated; your third grader is not
– Your husband is no longer contagious
–It is impossible to know whether the test was a false positive
-The question is moot
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Children are at the heart of all we do. We nurture a child's curiosity, ignite enthusiasm for exploring, develop tools for inquiry, for invention, for achievement. We welcome families into a community-wide collaboration to help our children grow into their best selves - responsible citizens and stewards of the greater world, makers of the future.
