The first few days after infection, an infected person can spread the virus at a high level and during this time the false negative rate for the COVID test is around 90%. Even with well established disease, the false negative rate is 32%!! Many children show no symptoms whatsoever. This fact plus the limited use of masks proposed for schools and very limited social distancing ensures that COVID will spread widely in the schools and that will result in adults at home being infected. This approach will kill some parents and grandparents. I do not believe the schools can be safely opened until we have a vaccine and all students are vaccinated with NO EXCEPTIONS!!
As a Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, I can tell you that a number of children do better with digital-distance learning. Children can get up later so they are more rested and do better with the academic material..
Those with ADHD can perform much better because as one explained to me, “if I space out a little in class, I have to think if I should interrupt and ask the teacher to go back. Then I miss even more. At home with a digital lecture, I can just back up the video some to get the missed information.” That covers a larger proportion of the student population than one might think
The original CDC guidelines for opening businesses included:
NO MASS TRANSIT
NO CAR POOLS
IN AREAS WHERE PEOPLE MAY GATHER (E.G cafeterias) NO SEATING!!!
I.E. NO BUSES, NO SEATS IN CAFETERIAS for schools
People argue that students need to be in school so parents can work BUT from what I’m seeing in my practice, many companies will be VASTLY expanding working from home and it is working despite the inevitable interruptions of work for children. This is working even for both parents working in a number of families I treat. For those who really must leave home to work, a group of parents could band together to provide coverage AS LONG AS THEY KEEP THAT GROIUP ISOLATED- I.E. NOT IN THE ACTUAL SCHOOL BUILDING!!! The school systems could facilitate the formation of such groups.
Korea which has done a FAR BETTER job than we at containing COVID opened their schools after they thought the virus was contained but had to quickly close them again.
Also note that once a room in a hospital is contaminated, it takes a team several hours to decontaminate it and during parts of the decontamination, no one can be in the room because of the intense UVC exposure. The room is also fogged with aerosols. I doubt any school system could implement these procedures.
How many parents and grandparents will have to die before the schools are closed again?
BETTER TO NOT OPEN SCHOOLS UNTIL ALL STUDENTS HAVE BEEN VACCINATED. .
We still have a lot to learn about the immunological response to COVID and that implies we have a lot to assess in potential vaccines. For example, it appears that the IgG response to COVID disappears in about 6 weeks. What does that mean for risk of infection? This question must be addressed in vaccines before we engage in a mass vaccination program.
Also note that children are the primary vectors of respiratory virus infections, e.g. cold and flu. The best way to protect the elderly population from the flu is to vaccinate the children!!
Donald Rauh M.D., Ph.D., FAPA
Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology Board Certified in General Psychiatry and in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Source: https://www.rauhpsychiatry.com