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COVID-19 & Going Back to School · The SHEA Podcast

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Rapid Response Podcast brought to you by Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America, Shaykh, promoting the prevention of healthcare associated infections and antibiotic resistance and seeking to advance the field of healthcare epidemiology and antibiotic stewardship.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Dr.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Walid Jave, hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai Downtown.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: I'll serve as your moderator.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Discussions on the podcast does not reflect Shay's perspective, but facilitates communication of multiple perspectives and experiences as we go through this challenging time together.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: She's excited to launch this episode of the podcast COVID-19 updates, what we know now.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Today's discussion will focus on COVID-19 and going back to school.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: In particular, our speakers will focus on K-12 education.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Our speaker today is Catherine Burge, President Elect of Florida Association of School Nurses and full-time registered nurse for Hillsboro County School District in Tampa, and Dr.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Shana Kowalski, Assistant Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease and Pediatric Associate Hospital Epidemiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you both for joining us today.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Before we get started, I would like to turn it over to Dr.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Cindy Prince for brief news and guidance update for the week.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: This week, the world reached 217.8 million total cases of COVID-19 with 4.5 million deaths.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: In the US, there had been 39.2 million cases and 640,000 deaths.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: A report in the MMWR described the association between myocarditis and COVID-19 in the US between March of 2020 and January of 2021.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: The study used administrative data from more than 900 hospitals and noted that the occurrence of myocarditis was 42% greater in 2020 than it was in 2019, with the risk being almost 16 times higher for patients with COVID-19 than without COVID-19.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: Risk ratios were highest for those over 50 and under 16 and lowest for those aged 25 to 39.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: Of note, the authors pointed out that the study results showing a higher risk for myocarditis in COVID-19 patients of all ages supports ASIP's recommendation that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the risk of post-vaccination myocarditis.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_01: A study by Smith et al.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: Patients who tested negative for COVID-19 on admission were subsequently retested every seven days during a hospital stay.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: Of the 2,061 patients included in the study, 40 tested positive after having a negative test on admission.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: Of those, 13 were considered to be hospital-onset infections.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_01: Although clinicians were encouraged to order testing outside the seven-day protocol if there was suspicion of COVID-19, 70% of the 40 patients who tested positive on the protocol had symptoms on or before routine testing that were consistent with COVID-19.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: Of those who exhibited these symptoms, about half had a fever or cough.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_01: The authors noted the importance of continued suspicion of COVID-19 in patients who tested negative upon admission but subsequently developed symptoms.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: They also noted that the period during which half the hospital onset infections were identified coincided with the period of time when the community was experiencing COVID-19 rates of 40 cases per 100,000 or greater.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Dr.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Prince.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: I will now move into discussion with our speakers.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: I know our listeners will enjoy learning a little bit more about each of you.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: So can you both share your background and experiences and how it relates to this topic?
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: So, Catherine, would you be able to go first?
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_03: I have been a registered nurse for over 20 years now.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_03: I started off in the neonatal ICU and have been a school nurse now for over 15 years.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_03: I started off in New Jersey, where I became a certified school nurse in the state of New Jersey.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_03: And now I am currently a nationally certified school nurse.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_03: I have been down in Florida for about four years now and dealing with COVID since it began.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_02: My name is Shana Kowalski.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_02: I'm a pediatric infectious disease doctor here at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Pediatric Associate Hospital Epidemiologist.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_02: I've been in practice now here for eight years.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_02: I'm also a mother of two young children who attend school.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_02: I have an elementary school child as well as a child in early childhood education.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_02: I was also very involved in the 2020 and 2021 school year.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: I served on several school medical task force and medical advisory committees on safe reopening of schools.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's very, very amazing.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: As a father of three children, two of them being in high school, I'm very excited to hear what you guys are going to tell us or educate us on.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure you both are aware that at least 90,000 children in 19 states have had to or are currently quarantining or isolating after contracting COVID-19 or coming in contact with someone who tested positive for this disease.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: So these disruptions have caused uncertainty for the parents, students, and school districts.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: What do you believe are most important considerations for school districts as it pertains to COVID-19 safety, regardless of whether they uh welcomed students back or are close to doing so at this time?
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: Dr.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: Kowalski, would you be able to go first?
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, we know that COVID-19 cases in general are rising in children, right?
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_02: They're up like fourfold since the end of July.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: So it's kind of scary just in time as children are set to head back to school or have already, you know, headed back over the past week or two.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_02: But I think, you know, what we've learned over the past year and a half is that really kids do belong in school.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_02: They benefit from in-person learning.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's crucial for their physical, emotional, mental development, and well-being.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_02: It's where they get access to critical services.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_02: It allows caregivers to work.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_02: And so, really, I think that a safe return to school for this fall really is a priority among all of us.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_02: And I think really the best way to keep our kids safe in school is really by adhering to the layered mitigation strategy.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_02: So, where you have several different strategies in place to keep kids safe and you sort of create this Swiss cheese model.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_02: So, where you have all kind of like the holes of cheese, but by having lots of different layers, if you have an infected source case, you know, the multiple different layers in place sort of prevent the virus from going straight through the Swiss cheese holes and they sort of get blocked at some point.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_02: And then you can protect the person that's susceptible on the other end from getting infected.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_02: So I think really, you know, the most important pieces are masking, masking indoors for children that are two and above.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_02: That's regardless of vaccination status.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_02: This is what's endorsed by the Center for Disease Control and by the American Academy of Pediatrics, maintaining the physical distancing of three feet.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_02: You know, last year during the 2020-2021 school year, the CDC initially had started off with recommending the six feet of distance, but there were some studies that came out that actually showed with the other mitigation strategies, which I'll talk about in place, that really three feet of distance should be sufficient, cohorting of students so that you know students have sort of limited interaction with other students and other teachers, improving ventilation, so opening windows in classrooms when you're able to, and upgrading filters so that you can get adequate airflow, daily symptom monitoring so that you have, you know, families and kids paying attention each morning before school to how they're feeling.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_02: And of course, being extra cautious and staying home when they're feeling, you know, any bit of sick, hand washing.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_02: Normally we say cough etiquette, but really if kids are coughing, they probably don't belong in school unless it's due to another, you know, reason like something else, like seasonal allergies or asthma or some other kind of underlying condition.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_02: And then close attention to cleaning and disinfection in the school building, you know, screening testing program can also be very important, especially for unvaccinated children.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_02: And if you have any unvaccinated staff to try and identify people that are potentially contagious before they may develop signs and symptoms of COVID, and then of course, having like a contact tracing program and the ability to quarantine those who are exposed and susceptible to illness.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_02: And then, of course, you know, vaccination.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_02: So in the 2020-2021 school year, we didn't really have vaccines that were available because children didn't start getting vaccinated until sort of, you know, much later into the spring as school was coming to a close.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: But really, vaccination against COVID-19 is strongly recommended for all children who are 12 and above, all teachers and staff should be vaccinated.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_02: And really, it's the number one leading public health strategy for ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: And then I guess depending on when you're choosing, you know, mitigation strategies, obviously, the more you adhere to, the more likely you are to have a successful year in school and be able to, you know, stay in school and maintain an in-person education.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_02: But then in terms of prioritizing the different mitigation strategies, taking into consideration the levels of community transmission, you know, COVID-19 vaccine coverage amongst the students, the teachers, and the staff.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_02: And then, of course, looking at trends, you know, in the school and the community.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, there were many schools that were open in the 2020-2021 academic year.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_02: And there were definitely reports out from schools like in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Mississippi that when they adhere to these different mitigation strategies, they were able to, you know, operate with very little in-school transmission, even despite ongoing transmission in the community.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_02: So it really shows us that with the mitigation strategies in place, that kids can attend an in-person, you know, learning environment and can, you know, hopefully stay in school for the majority of the year.
• 10:04
  unknown: Ms.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Burge, what are your thoughts?
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_03: I would have to agree wholeheartedly with Dr.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_03: Kolowski on that, given that we were a state that had school openings in the 2021 school year.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_03: We did follow the CDC guidelines regarding the distances, masking, and continue to now in the state of Florida as well as Hillsborough County School District.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_03: So wholeheartedly I agree with everything that Dr.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_03: Koloski has said.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: So, what advice should healthcare professionals be giving parents and children 12 and older about going back to school in order to keep them as safe as possible, Ms.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: Burge?
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_03: I would have to say, first and foremost, is giving parents the information that they need regarding the vaccination.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_03: That that is, as Dr.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_03: Kowalski had said, our best chance of getting COVID-19 under control is the vaccination.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_03: So supplying parents with the information that they need to make that decision, what they think is best for their child, is of utmost importance.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_03: I also believe that reminding parents to inform their children and to teach their children, again, proper mask wearing, proper hand washing, staying safe distance from everybody, not sharing water bottles or anything along those lines, that would truly be the best way that healthcare professionals can help parents and children older than 12 return back to school safely.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Dr.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: Kowalski.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Anything to add?
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I pretty much will echo what Nurse Burge has said.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I think that the role of the healthcare professional, which usually includes, you know, pediatricians or family practitioners or to support parents, you know, as they make the decisions to send their children back to school.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_02: Usually pediatricians or family practitioners are very carefully picked by parents.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_02: And so they have that sort of close relationship and really rely on them for information and share a lot of trust with them.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_02: So really I think the pediatricians or the family practitioners can really be a solid source, you know, of information to families, you know, to dispel the myths that are out there and the misinformation about COVID-19 in general and, you know, with the vaccination.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_02: And they can provide the parents with, you know, the data and the evidence so that families really can make informed decisions about what's needed to be done to protect their children's safety.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, I think one important thing, especially, you know, pediatricians, one of the main jobs of a pediatrician or a family practitioner really is to promote and provide routine childhood vaccinations.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_02: So this is something that they deal with all the time, vaccine hesitancy.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_02: So I think these are really the best individuals, even though they might not be giving the vaccines in their offices, but really the best individuals to be having conversations with families, you know, about the importance of giving the COVID-19 vaccine to those who are 12 and above.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: Another question pretty much related to this, Shana, I'll ask you first.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: If a student is under the age of 12, thus not being able to be vaccine eligible and returning back to in-person learning, how do healthcare professionals best advise these students that their parents to keep their child protected?
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: So I think again, there are, you know, many schools that were open this past year in the 2020, 2021 academic year.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_02: So I think, you know, we do have sort of that historical record and that if you do adhere to the mitigation strategies like we discussed before, you know, that that would be the best way to keep kids safe, right?
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_02: So we didn't even have the vaccines until the late spring.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_02: So most of the kids that were in school, pretty much all the kids that were in school last year, were unvaccinated.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_02: I think it's really important for children to stay up to date with their other, you know, routine childhood immunization, such as getting the annual flu shot.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_02: And then also really important for this age group that we cocoon them since they can't be vaccinated and make sure that they're close contacts, so household contacts, as well as the other people in school, whether it's the children that are 12 and above or the teachers, you know, or the staff, that they all get vaccinated so we can protect the ones that can't get vaccinated as much as possible.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_02: And that's been something we've done historically in pediatrics, you know, for children that are not quite eligible yet for their vaccinations based on age.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_02: And so there was just this past Friday on August 27th, the CDC MMWR released a report in California.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_02: There was a single unvaccinated teacher who, you know, while the school had all the mitigation strategies in place, the teacher, they say on occasion, was pulling his or her mask down during story time when he or she spoke to the elementary school students who then obviously were unvaccinated but were masks.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: And from that, there was 50% spread.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_02: So 50% of the children in the class got COVID-19 from this one unvaccinated teacher who was pulling down her mask.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_02: So just, you know, another reason to emphasize vaccination for all teachers.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_02: And what we say mask wearing, but mask wearing really means wearing, you know, your mask over your nose and your mouth, you know, coming down or on your chin throughout the day and keeping it on your face and not, you know, pulling it down throughout the day.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that's really important.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_02: And then there's also a simulation study by the CDC that basically predicts in the absence of masking and testing, if you have a low immunity population.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_02: So, like for elementary school students, schools where you have low vaccination rates or low rates of protection because of lack of prior infection, that in the absence of masking testing, about 75% of children who are susceptible to COVID-19 will become infected in the first three months of school.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_02: So I think really we have to just really focus like on the layered mitigation strategies and really, really promote vaccination as you know, younger children become eligible.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: Katrine, do you want to add anything to this?
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_03: Again, I would just say that it is our job to protect our most vulnerable population, which at this time are children under the age of 12 because they cannot get the vaccine.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_03: So again, masking properly, wearing it properly, as Dr.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_03: Kowalski has said, use these children wearing them around their chins and everything, reminding them exactly how to wear it, teaching them and educating them about that, hand washing, keeping the safe distance, and again, encouraging our teachers and families to get vaccinated as well to help protect them.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Catherine, since Florida K-12 schools are back in session, most for several weeks now.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: What have been some of the biggest challenges of keeping students safe for in-person learning?
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: And what lessons learned can you share with our listeners who might be working with their own school districts?
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_03: I can say going back this school year has been very challenging for several reasons.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_03: One, we do not have our e-learning option throughout the state, which we had last year, which allowed students to still learn from home, but within their same school.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_03: So this year we have virtual options depending on which county the children are in.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_03: And then we also have a state virtual option as well.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_03: However, this becomes more challenging for our ESE population regarding their IEP's individual education plans.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_03: So we are dealing with having our students come back that have more medical issues than we had last year.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_03: So on top of dealing with our COVID students, we're also dealing with our students that need G2 feedings or catheterizations, our daily medications, a lot of our diabetics are coming back now.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_03: So keeping everyone safe is more of a challenge.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_03: Again, that mask wearing and the hand washing and social distancing is really a big part of it.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_03: And unfortunately, as you know, there is a nursing shortage throughout the country, and Florida is no different.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_03: School nursing is no different from that as well.
• 17:27
  SPEAKER_03: So we're having to deal with more with less people.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_03: So those are our biggest challenges right now down in Florida.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_03: And as far as lessons to be learned that I can share is honestly be open and honest with the parents as far as what's going on.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_03: When I call parents, I tell them I normally wouldn't be sending their child home or calling them for certain illnesses that they have.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_03: However, due to what COVID is right now and the symptoms are a lot of symptoms that students normally have on a daily basis, as far as a stomachache or a sore throat.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_03: It's asking those questions deeper to parents.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_03: Have they been around anybody who possibly could have COVID?
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_03: It's having those hard conversations and having parents trust us that we are trying our best to make the best judgment call for all of the students, not just their own.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_03: So I can honestly say that the lessons are just really please be patient with everybody and honest communication is really the most important thing right now.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: As a follow-up, how do you educate and reason with school districts who ban masking mandates at school?
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: And are there ways healthcare professionals can get involved to help schools and district leaders understand the science?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_03: The only thing I can say regarding that topic is that I do know we do have a mask mandate in my county right now and several counties in Florida.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_03: And my children's pediatrician actually had sent out a home flyer basically stating that they will only give the mask allowances, do not wear masks for XYZ reasons and everything.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_03: They were very specific on them and basically said, please don't bother us with it unless your children have this.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_03: They will not be granting the mask waivers.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_03: So I think they did a great job explaining that, that it is important.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_03: We have had our district leaders and school help us regarding having people come in from the community doctors speaking about the science and the transmission rates and everything to our school board and to our leaders.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_03: So it's really important, I think, that our healthcare professionals are out there in the community and helping people realize the importance of all the measures that we need to be taking in this time.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's extremely well said.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: And I really appreciate how difficult it is for you guys to handle it.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: But the information you provided is so, so helpful.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: Dr.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: Kowalski, schools are set to open in New York City on Monday, September 13th.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: What have you been doing to assist with the reopening to ensure in-person learning is safe as possible?
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_02: So, like I mentioned before, I do serve on several schools, medical task force, advisory committees to help keep kids safe at school.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_02: I did do this throughout the 2020 and 2021 school year for two different schools that opened in the fall of last year and one school that had remained closed due to very high levels of community transmission.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_02: They were hit very hard with the first wave of COVID, but they did bring children back in for a hybrid model in the spring of 2021.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_02: So I was able to help those schools last year and you know take some of those lessons learned from last year and apply it to this year.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_02: I really do believe that the layered mitigation strategies that we've been talking about throughout this call work from the schools that I did help last year.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_02: We really didn't see many cases of in-school transmission, and there were some, but limited number of quarantines.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_02: And then additionally, I speak at a lot of different forums.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_02: So I do like offer to give town hall sessions for different schools and organizations presenting the data on COVID-19 and children in general, promoting vaccination among everyone 12 and above, and discussing ways to keep children safe at school.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: That really helps in getting engaged with the school districts.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: And I think having people like yourself and Ms.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: Burge is kind of really helpful for everyone to understand the situation, also best protect our children.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_00: So can you both speak on how healthcare professionals can get involved with their school districts with reopenings?
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: Catherine, would you go first?
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_03: I would say the best way that healthcare professionals can help get involved with the school districts is really giving the information that they have, showing the data, showing how the preventative strategies that we have learned from last year have worked.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_03: Helping schools institute those strategies the best of their ability was really the best way.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_03: Helping community set up vaccine drives for in general with the community children and adults to get the vaccine, I think would probably be a very good way as well.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: So that's where I could see the healthcare professionals helping out the school districts.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: And Dr.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: Kowalski, since you've been involved in other medical boards, I also help the school district where my kids go.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: But I think for others, like what would be the tips that you have for getting involved in school reopenings?
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I guess I think throughout the US, you know, the policies around school reopenings, you know, this fall vary widely.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_02: So I don't think there's one specific like cookie cutter recipe, but sort of working with each individual district or school to see, you know, how you can best help the individual schools.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_02: I think really just sharing the science and evidence, like Nurse Burge had said, and really just having those ongoing discussions with, you know, both families as well as, you know, school boards, superintendents, really to try and engage the people that are making the final decisions, you know, about masking in school as well as other mitigation strategies to keeping our kids safe is really, I think, the best approach.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have any final thoughts for our listeners?
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, I think there's a lot of uncertainty, you know, especially as we have, you know, this delta variant now, you know, the predominant variant on the scene, which we know is much more infectious or transmissible.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_02: So it will be interesting in a way to see what happens, you know, over the next few months as kids are gathering together now, you know, back in school, sort of after we had this honeymoon period a little bit over the summer where we were able to relax a little bit.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_02: But I really think that, you know, families shouldn't be scared necessarily to send their kids back to school, but they should be smart and safe and really teach their kids how to keep themselves safe by, you know, wearing their masks appropriately, maintaining the distance, you know, good hand washing, obviously monitoring for symptoms, making sure that the schools that they are sending their kids back to are doing their end to keep the school safe.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_02: But I really think that, you know, given at least the evidence that we had from the last academic year of low in school transmission of COVID-19 and really the benefits of in-person learning, that the benefits of children attending school in person really outweigh the risks of COVID-19.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_02: And children, we do know that overall children historically with this virus over the past year and a half have done well.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: Most children do experience, you know, mild illness compared to adults, have much fewer rates of you know, hospitalization and death from COVID.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_02: So I do think school is a critical essential service and really that kids do belong in the school setting.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: And we should just make it as safe as possible for children to resume their, you know, everyday lives.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_00: Katherine, any final thoughts you have?
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_03: I absolutely agree with Dr.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_03: Kowalski that school is where children need to be at this point for them to be educated and as well as for their mental health.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_03: School is the best place for children.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_03: And we just need to be able to ensure that the safety for them, as far as making sure they are wearing their masks properly, hand washing, social distancing as best as possible, that that is the best place for them.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_03: They need to get back to their normal routines.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you very much to our speakers for sharing their perspectives and experiences.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: This podcast can be accessed on Shay's online education center, learning CE under Rapid Response Program, where you will also find resources such as Shay COVID-19 town halls.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_00: This concludes today's episode of Rapid Response Podcast.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for tuning in.