Schools and COVID

COVID MIGHT BE ON THEMINDS OF A LOT OF PARENTS.ESPECIALLY IN DISTRICTS WHEREFACE MASKS ARE NOT EQRUIRED.

SOHOW SHOULD THEY HANDLE ASICK CHILD?

AND WHEN SHOULD THEYKEEP THEM HOME OR GET THEMTESTED?FOX 17'S RYAN CUMMINGS IS LIVEWITH THE RECOMMENDATIONS.IT'S A BIG QUESTION SINCE THECOVID-19VACCINE IS STILL NOT AVAILABLETOKIDS UNDER 12.

WE SAT DOWNWITH A PEDIATRICINFECTIOUS DISEASE DOCTOR TOFIND OUT WHAT PARENTS NEED TOKNOW WHEN IT COMES TO SENDINGTHEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL WHENTHEY'RE NOT FEELING WELL.IT MAY BE SOMEWHAT OF A RETURNTO NORMALCY THIS FALL - AS KIDSHEAD BACK TO CLASS.SOME OF THEM IF THEY'ER OLDENOUGH MIGHT BE VACCINATEDAGAINST COVID-19.WHICH WOULD HELP SLOW THE SPREADINIDSE THE SCHOOLS.

SOMEBUILDINGS MAY ALSO REQUIREMASKS.

8:30 "I think we allwant to compare COVID-19 toinfluenza because we want tohave something to hang out haton andsay this is what we can expect.Unfortunately,being an expert in the field, Istill don't feelcomfortable enough with COVID-19to givea prediction for how it's goingto behaveseason after season." DR.ROSEMARY OLIVERO IS APEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISESAEEXPERT AT SPECTRUM HEALTH.

SHETELLS US OVER THE PAST TWOWEEKS HELEN DEVOS CHILDN'RESHOSPITAL HAS CARED FOR 3-5CHILDREN A DAY WITH COVID.

THEYHAVEN'T HAD SEVERE CASESBUT THEY WERE ISOLATED.

1:47"So if your child has newsymptomsand you're concerned they couldbe relatedto COVID-19, always just callthe school."PARENTS CAN ALSO VISIT THEIRLOCALHEALTH DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE FORGUIDANCE.2:30 "And it will walk youthrough theworkflow fr owhat would happendepending on if that person isvaccinatedor not and if they've hacd losecontact withsomebody known to have COVID-19ornot." A BIG CONCERN WITH COVIDISTHE FACT THAT THOSE UNDER 12CANNOT GET VACCINATED YET.

SO,IF THEY'RE RIDING A BUS WITHOTHERS WHO MIGHT BE INFECTEDOR SITTING NEXT TO THEM IN CLASS- THEY'RE NOT REALLYPROTECTED.

2:57 "And I woulderr on the side of keepingyour child at home and notgetting on a schoolbus and not going into schooluntil you havetht asorted out just so youdon't accidentallyexpose anybody else in case theyareharboring the virus that causesCOVID-91."KIDS WILL NO DOUBT RUN FEVERS..AND GET A RUNNY NOSE..

ORCOUGH.

DR. OLIVERO SAYS THOSESHOULDN'TBE ANY DIFFERENT THA NANY NORMALSCHOOL YEAR.

3:41 "So ifyour child has a fever greaterthan 101 they would of courseneed to stayhome and they would always needto stayhome until they're fever freefor 24-hoursregardless of the cause and ifthey areindeed diagnosed with COVID-19then thatmeans they would need toself-isolate, athome, fo rthe full 10 days." IFTHEY HAVE A SEVER CEOUGH OR ANEW LOSS OF TASTE OR SMELLTHOSE ARE BIG RED FLAGS FORCOVIDAND THE CHILD SHOULD STAY HOME.AND BE CAREFUL WHEN TRYING TOCOMPARE COVID WTHI THE FLU.

6:22"Certainly both arerespiratoryillnesses, both can make youfeel very ill,can give you days of highfevers, can giveyou a respiratory tractinfection which canmake you very ill and somechildren willneed to come to the hospital foreither."THE HOSPITALIZATION RATE FORKIDS WITH COVID INWEST MICHIGAN HAS RANGED FROM2-TO 3%.

SOME LATER DEVELOPMULTISYSTEMNF ILAMATORYSYNDROME.THEY'RE ALSO LOOKING AT HOW MANYKIDS WITH COVID WILL END UPHAVING LONG COVID.

8:09 "Andthat's the more chronicsymptoms that you have atferCOVID-19which can range from brain fogto poorconcentration all the way toexerciseintolerance and blood pressureissues whenyou're going from laying tostanding."WE HEARD FROM THE DTOCOR FORMORE THAN 30 MINUTES.SHE TALKED ABOUT MASKS, SOCIALDISTANCING, EVEN COVID ANDATHLETICS.

HER FULL INTERVIEWCAN BEFOUND AT FOX17ONLINE.COM.

ASALWAYS WITH ANY MEDICAL ADVICETALK WITH YOUR OWNPEDIATRIAICN AS EVERY CHILD ANDTHEIR SYMTOMS ARE DIFFERENT.LIVE IN GRAND RAPIDS..

RYANCUMMINGS FOX 17 NEWS.