Benjamin Knorr, a 40-year-old single father in Janesville, Wisc., Says it’s about a 50-50 this fall will send his two teenage children to return to school. His 13-year-old Aiden, would get especially for his friends, the new sport, and regulated life. But Knorr, an independent contractor, asthma and fears that his health and finances would be hurt if one of his guys took COVID-19 from the school. “If the Dane County and Rock County numbers go where I live and work, it’s over. We just started to do in the online school,” says Knorr. “We already have more than two months after she got, and yes, it was hard. It ‘was tough. And yes, there was more work to come on my house and the back to deal with them and so on- training line. But we can not be homeless. “While the United States school districts to decide whether children welcome of this workout for the fall in behind the classroom, administrators are a complex set of variables with a weight. There is a risk that children, teachers and staff from getting sick or spreading the disease, on the one hand. But on the other hand, it is that the evidence outside of school can affect long-term prospects learning and child mental health; making it harder for many to get the food they need; and it makes it difficult for parents to work, particularly mothers, who often expect a lot from disproportionately handle responsibilities for children. Millions of students today do not have access to high-speed broadband Internet and other technical resources you need to get the most distance learning, is to make a poor substitute for many. Meanwhile, the debate over reopening of schools has become intensely politicized. The US president Donald Trump and many other Republicans are pushing schools to partially reopen because they feel American life before the day of elections in November this year, as normal as possible absence. But many Democrats say it is too early to go to school, and we must not endanger the lives of children and teachers before a vaccine is ready. Putting politics aside, what it is the science so far is this: children are less likely to get sick from COVID-19 would be to obtain and rarely get very sick if they develop symptoms are, and appear to be less likely others infect. In June this year epidemiological study looked at data from China and five other countries, found that people under 20 are about as often the elderly are half as infected, and only 21% of 10-19 people years that are infected show no symptoms. To make things in the United States, experts say it is time that American schools closed in the early years of the pandemic and has since remained shuttered; Therefore, we do not have very good data on how the virus spreads in US classrooms. The best we have so far is from a large South Korean study published in this month. In case of contact more than 5,700 patients COVID-19, later, the researchers found that children under the age of 10 spread of the virus at about half the rate of adults, but children from 10 to 19 the spread at a rate similar as adults (although the study included a smaller number of people of this age than adults). This suggests, the administration and the political need to think differently about middle and high school than do younger students. “My house is the take a time continuum,” says Dr. William Raszka, a specialist in pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Vermont. “The older you are, the more likely it is that you’re going to drive like adults have.” The results from South Korea with other, smaller studies. Research in French primary schools as a pre-release published in June no evidence of children in schools found transmission; Iceland and the research was published in April, it found that children under 10 were less likely to test positive for the virus was released by those over 10. Another small study in July, based on data from hospitals in the Chinese city of Wuhan and Qingdao found that among 68 pediatric COVID-19 patients, 96% were infected by another adult in their household, and there was no evidence that children (transmit the virus to others is not clear from the study how infected the other 4% of children). There could be a number of reasons that young people are less likely to spread COVID-19, says Justin Lessler, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The virus can replicate in children is not as much as it does in adults, an infected child would be to spend less viral material. In addition, since children usually no or less severe symptoms, they may be less likely to spread the virus through coughing or sneezing, as a sick adult power. Despite the fact that a double-edged sword might say Lessler-when a child is infected, but it does not look bad, they can at school and sent other wind Infect. “It ‘a trade-off,” he says. “If they do not have much viral shedding, may be less likely, but it can be much more contact, which, as they are not sick.” Absent adequate measures of health protection, which could be very difficult for schools. school children usually have more contact with other people as adults, while the school is in session. And even if you cough or sneeze, the kids are pretty well usually spread illnesses caused by other habits, crying like touching everything in sight either. Another big unknown is whether children who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic can spread the virus-Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, pediatric infectious disease physician and epidemiologist at Stanford Medicine, points out that the aforementioned study of only the symptomatic children contacts South Korea monitored. One thing we know about a quarter of American teachers are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, July 2 analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, because they are over 65, has a pre-existing condition, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease pulmonary disease (COPD) or a body mass index over 40. unfortunately, and discussions on child vulnerability to COVID-19 often evades the question of whether schools puts teachers and other staff reopening life on the line. Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, has given the green light on July 28 for union members to go to so-called “security threats” to protest the unsafe working conditions. . ‘If the authorities, we make no representation protect those safety and health and those we serve, “said the union members, the NPR reports” Nothing is off the table “There are ways to help reduce the risk, says Maldonado : precautions such as social distancing, with teachers wear masks and face, and children split into smaller groups and their college diploma all the help. (Some of these measures, in particular social distancing are crowded schools or schools with fewer resources more difficult.) “We have not seen the transfer if you take the right precautions,” said Maldonado. “So what I want to know as a parent is that my school so that these precautions are present to do. And that’s the key. If the school can do it, then I would feel comfortable. If the school really seems not to switch their common or do not have the resources, then I might be worried. “Whether a particular school or district can safely return to the open end of the community situation in a broader sense, when a particular state or county are linked, experienced significant epidemic , it may be wise to keep the closed doors of the school. “You can not, without further schools separate from the community”, says Raszka, a specialist at the University of Vermont. “They are not entirely separate. And if you really want to minimize the risk of transmission in schools, you should minimize the risk in the community.” Picture copyright by Frederic J. Brown AFP / Getty Images
Here’s what the science actually says about our children and COVID-19
