Coronavirus Thread v.2

[gmillerdrake]

My wife is a Special School District teacher and she just found out that a kid she worked 1 on 1 with all day last Friday has tested positive for Covid. She's fully vaccinated and they were both masked but the ignorant thing is neither her principle nor her SSD boss told any of them about it. They found out from another teacher who knows the kids parents??? WTF???

So, I guess we're in a 'wait and see' pattern.....odd thing is both here and I tested positive this time last year on 12/18.

[TAC]

I just saw on the news this morning that international flights back into the US will require a negative covid test within 24 hours of your flight home.  It used to be 72 hours, but that is being changed.

How would one even figure out, in a foreign country, how to obtain a negative test 24 hours before your flight? Not asking you, Grapp, just the policy.

You can get in line and do them at the airport.  This is what I will need to do in a couple weeks.  Got to make sure I get there nice and early and cross my fingers that I don't pull a positive.

OK. Aren't these quick tests like 30% inaccurate?

I think closer to 95-99% accuracy.

Huh.

OK. They test at my wife's work, and the amount of false positives has been numerous.

[cramx3]

It also depends on the brand of test, some are better than others.  But generally the rapid tests are pretty accurate from my understanding, but not perfect. 

[Herrick]

I just saw on the news this morning that international flights back into the US will require a negative covid test within 24 hours of your flight home.  It used to be 72 hours, but that is being changed.

How would one even figure out, in a foreign country, how to obtain a negative test 24 hours before your flight? Not asking you, Grapp, just the policy.

You can get in line and do them at the airport.  This is what I will need to do in a couple weeks.  Got to make sure I get there nice and early and cross my fingers that I don't pull a positive.

Do they give refunds for people who test positive?

[cramx3]

I just saw on the news this morning that international flights back into the US will require a negative covid test within 24 hours of your flight home.  It used to be 72 hours, but that is being changed.

How would one even figure out, in a foreign country, how to obtain a negative test 24 hours before your flight? Not asking you, Grapp, just the policy.

You can get in line and do them at the airport.  This is what I will need to do in a couple weeks.  Got to make sure I get there nice and early and cross my fingers that I don't pull a positive.

Do they give refunds for people who test positive?

For the flight?  I believe you can change the date, but not get a refund.  I dont think the airlines like to give your money back. 

[Herrick]

I just saw on the news this morning that international flights back into the US will require a negative covid test within 24 hours of your flight home.  It used to be 72 hours, but that is being changed.

How would one even figure out, in a foreign country, how to obtain a negative test 24 hours before your flight? Not asking you, Grapp, just the policy.

You can get in line and do them at the airport.  This is what I will need to do in a couple weeks.  Got to make sure I get there nice and early and cross my fingers that I don't pull a positive.

Do they give refunds for people who test positive?

For the flight?  I believe you can change the date, but not get a refund.  I dont think the airlines like to give your money back.

That sucks especially if someone schedules a flight for vacation time and cannot change their vacation days at the last minute.

[Adami]

You can change the date, but have to pay the difference.

For my trip to Israel, we booked the tickets back in like May. Then day or so before the flight had to reschedule because Israel changed their entry policies. We were able to do it but it was like 100 bucks or so difference just in ticket cost that we had to pay.

So essentially you don't change the date, you cancel the flight and get a credit for what you paid.

[Herrick]

You can change the date, but have to pay the difference.

For my trip to Israel, we booked the tickets back in like May. Then day or so before the flight had to reschedule because Israel changed their entry policies. We were able to do it but it was like 100 bucks or so difference just in ticket cost that we had to pay.

So essentially you don't change the date, you cancel the flight and get a credit for what you paid.

I guess it depends on the airline. If I were traveling internationally I'd consider buying flight cancellation insurance.

[jingle.boy]

My wife is a Special School District teacher and she just found out that a kid she worked 1 on 1 with all day last Friday has tested positive for Covid. She's fully vaccinated and they were both masked but the ignorant thing is neither her principle nor her SSD boss told any of them about it. They found out from another teacher who knows the kids parents??? WTF???

So, I guess we're in a 'wait and see' pattern.....odd thing is both here and I tested positive this time last year on 12/18.

I'd read some reporting from South Africa that one of the "features" of Omicron is that it has a higher propensity to "re" infect people who'd already had COVID.  Although, still no clear indications it is more virulent than Delta... and if they haven't clearly seen any clear indicators, that's good news (in my book).

Fingers crossed for you.

[cramx3]

My wife is a Special School District teacher and she just found out that a kid she worked 1 on 1 with all day last Friday has tested positive for Covid. She's fully vaccinated and they were both masked but the ignorant thing is neither her principle nor her SSD boss told any of them about it. They found out from another teacher who knows the kids parents??? WTF???

So, I guess we're in a 'wait and see' pattern.....odd thing is both here and I tested positive this time last year on 12/18.

I'd read some reporting from South Africa that one of the "features" of Omicron is that it has a higher propensity to "re" infect people who'd already had COVID.  Although, still no clear indications it is more virulent than Delta... and if they haven't clearly seen any clear indicators, that's good news (in my book).

Fingers crossed for you.

CNN had a headline on TV today ( strolled by at work and saw it, but did not watch the piece or anything) that they continue to see evidence of omicron infections being more mild. 

[jingle.boy]

Yeah, I mean when Delta first hit India, it didn't take too long for it to get to Defcon 5.  The fact the media is reporting NOTHING staggering regarding Omicron being more virulent - and it's been around for at least 2 weeks - gives me ... hope?

[cramx3]

Yeah, I mean when Delta first hit India, it didn't take too long for it to get to Defcon 5.  The fact the media is reporting NOTHING staggering regarding Omicron being more virulent - and it's been around for at least 2 weeks - gives me ... hope?

It's still going to spread like wildfire I'd imagine.  Just hopefully not clog up hospitals and put locals into lockdowns. I'd imagine it's already playing a role in rising cases here even if we are only just now noticing the variant. 

[jingle.boy]

Yeah, I mean when Delta first hit India, it didn't take too long for it to get to Defcon 5.  The fact the media is reporting NOTHING staggering regarding Omicron being more virulent - and it's been around for at least 2 weeks - gives me ... hope?

It's still going to spread like wildfire I'd imagine.  Just hopefully not clog up hospitals and put locals into lockdowns. I'd imagine it's already playing a role in rising cases here even if we are only just now noticing the variant.

Precisely my gut feeling as well.  Ontario's daily case counts have essentially doubled in the last month.  I think seasonality (ie, we're indoors more often) plays a role, but I'm guessing (hoping?) that Omicron is part of it as well.

[hefdaddy42]

I heard on NPR this morning that Omicron cases have been found in one third of U.S. states.

[Stadler]

My wife is a Special School District teacher and she just found out that a kid she worked 1 on 1 with all day last Friday has tested positive for Covid. She's fully vaccinated and they were both masked but the ignorant thing is neither her principle nor her SSD boss told any of them about it. They found out from another teacher who knows the kids parents??? WTF???

So, I guess we're in a 'wait and see' pattern.....odd thing is both here and I tested positive this time last year on 12/18.

I'd read some reporting from South Africa that one of the "features" of Omicron is that it has a higher propensity to "re" infect people who'd already had COVID.  Although, still no clear indications it is more virulent than Delta... and if they haven't clearly seen any clear indicators, that's good news (in my book).

Fingers crossed for you.

CNN had a headline on TV today ( strolled by at work and saw it, but did not watch the piece or anything) that they continue to see evidence of omicron infections being more mild.

This is everything I'm hearing.

[jingle.boy]

https://www.tech-gate.org/usa/2021/12/07/120-partygoers-who-caught-omicron-super-strain-at-norwegian-xmas-work-night-out-have-mild-symptoms/

None of the 100-plus partygoers who caught Omicron at a Norwegian Christmas party believed to be the world’s biggest coronavirus super-spreader event have fallen seriously unwell.

Doctors involved in tracing the outbreak say the infected are so far only suffering very mild symptoms like fevers, coughs, headaches and tiredness following the festive do on November 26.

Some 120 people who attended the Louise Restaurant and Bar in Oslo have tested positive for Covid, all of which are suspected to be Omicron but only 13 have been confirmed in a lab.

Saw a tweet on this that suggested (as I think it was Stads who did here), that more transmissible but less virulent could put the world on a path to ending the global pandemic status.

[hunnus2000]

https://www.tech-gate.org/usa/2021/12/07/120-partygoers-who-caught-omicron-super-strain-at-norwegian-xmas-work-night-out-have-mild-symptoms/

None of the 100-plus partygoers who caught Omicron at a Norwegian Christmas party believed to be the world’s biggest coronavirus super-spreader event have fallen seriously unwell.

Doctors involved in tracing the outbreak say the infected are so far only suffering very mild symptoms like fevers, coughs, headaches and tiredness following the festive do on November 26.

Some 120 people who attended the Louise Restaurant and Bar in Oslo have tested positive for Covid, all of which are suspected to be Omicron but only 13 have been confirmed in a lab.

Saw a tweet on this that suggested (as I think it was Stads who did here), that more transmissible but less virulent could put the world on a path to ending the global pandemic status.

I was perusing the Youtubes and came across an interview with a Dr. in South Africa that relayed the same thing.

[Mladen]

That would be odd. If the virus is more tranmissible and more people get it, doesn't that give the virus the opportunity to continue mutating due to its high spread level? Unless a majority of world population gets it and recovers from it very quickly and simultaneously, which is highly unlikely, we might see new variants wherever the omicron might be dominating.

[lonestar]

That would be odd. If the virus is more tranmissible and more people get it, doesn't that give the virus the opportunity to continue mutating due to its high spread level? Unless a majority of world population gets it and recovers from it very quickly and simultaneously, which is highly unlikely, we might see new variants wherever the omicron might be dominating.

Or maybe omicron would continue mutating into less virulent variants, steering it into the direction akin to the flu or common cold, where only a few select cases would be beyond a mere nuisance.

[cramx3]

Thought it was interesting when entering The Netherlands today that the customs agents asked if I was vaxxed and when I said yes, she trusted me and didn't check my CDC card as I was about to hand it to her.  Considering everything shuts down early here from the lockdowns, you'd think they'd be pretty strict on checking who is entering the country.

[ProfessorPeart]

Not a day goes by now that I don't get an email from the school district announcing positive covid cases. It's literally every day now. 11 kids yesterday alone were positive. I asked my son if these kids are wearing masks. He says a bunch don't. I asked if the teachers yell at them and he says they do, but the kids just keep skirting the system.

I'm not surprised in the least. I'm a fish out of water in my area. Vax rates still suck in my county.

EDIT: Just got today's email. Another several positive cases.

[Stadler]

That would be odd. If the virus is more tranmissible and more people get it, doesn't that give the virus the opportunity to continue mutating due to its high spread level? Unless a majority of world population gets it and recovers from it very quickly and simultaneously, which is highly unlikely, we might see new variants wherever the omicron might be dominating.

Or maybe omicron would continue mutating into less virulent variants, steering it into the direction akin to the flu or common cold, where only a few select cases would be beyond a mere nuisance.

This is what I was saying above, and what I'm hearing (at least here in CT) about possibilities.  Viruses to "survive" can't keep killing off their hosts.  Highly transmissible and a living host are optimal for a virus to promulgate. 

[Grappler]

The facebook group that I'm in for my school district (which leans to the more conservative parents) had a discussion last week and the husband of one of the board members was indicating that the CDC's data shows that kids don't spread or catch covid in schools as opposed to at home.  I'm starting to believe that is true. 

Our elementary school has a positive case here or there, but there aren't really big outbreaks.  I really think it's kids catching it from outside of school.

[Stadler]

Not a day goes by now that I don't get an email from the school district announcing positive covid cases. It's literally every day now. 11 kids yesterday alone were positive. I asked my son if these kids are wearing masks. He says a bunch don't. I asked if the teachers yell at them and he says they do, but the kids just keep skirting the system.

I'm not surprised in the least. I'm a fish out of water in my area. Vax rates still suck in my county.

EDIT: Just got today's email. Another several positive cases.

Look, not a skeptic; I have been vaccinated, including booster, and I am a mask maniac (at least when I travel).  I carry disposable ones in my car, and I have a couple of cloth ones I wear when traveling or wearing one for a longer time (they fog my glasses less).   But those "emails" (but their emails!) are misleading and inflammatory.   My state - leading the nation (at least at one point if not right this moment) in vaccination rates for it's population, and with many towns with mask mandates remaining in place, and our "positivity rate" seems to bounce like a mosh pit between about 1.9 and as high as 8 percent earlier this week.

I've flown 12 times in the last two months, and have gotten not one notification (contact trace) on anyone getting sick, and no media reports of "super spreader"-type events from flying.  All I'm saying here is that I don't think we should panic, and I don't think we can stick with the simple "masks on, not sick, masks off, sick" or "vaccine, not sick, no vaxx, sick" narrative any longer.  We're two years almost into this and the virus has defied those easy narratives the entire way and seems to continue to do so.   I'm still going to reduce my odds, no question, but that's all I'm doing, is reducing my odds.

[jingle.boy]

The facebook group that I'm in for my school district (which leans to the more conservative parents) had a discussion last week and the husband of one of the board members was indicating that the CDC's data shows that kids don't spread or catch covid in schools as opposed to at home.  I'm starting to believe that is true. 

Our elementary school has a positive case here or there, but there aren't really big outbreaks.  I really think it's kids catching it from outside of school.

I don't mean this to sound dick-ish, but just how exactly does the virus know if someone is at school or at home?  Did the FB group guy provide a link to the CDC data/study?

Bill... great post/comments.  I'm of the same mindset.  mrs.jingle?  Not quite so much, but gradually getting there.

[Grappler]

I don't mean this to sound dick-ish, but just how exactly does the virus know if someone is at school or at home?  Did the FB group guy provide a link to the CDC data/study?

Bill... great post/comments.  I'm of the same mindset.  mrs.jingle?  Not quite so much, but gradually getting there.

No, there was no study shown, but the comments came from someone in the community that is very sensible and whom I trust, despite having some different views about things.  His wife sits on the school board and he takes the time to review a lot of information with regard to the schools, putting forth educated arguments, not just random comments like "don't get the jab."

A year ago, prior to vaccines being available, Illinois' Department of Public Health noted though contact tracing that the majority of positive cases were coming from small household gatherings.  The state wasn't seeing super-spreader events or a lot of public transmission.  It was people gathering at a home, where you're in closer quarters for longer periods of time, without a mask.  I think this still holds true. 

So you are correct in that the virus doesn't know any difference and I've always believed that.  But the circumstances in which kids are around each other at school vs. at home or with friends is different.  A friend of mine who teaches at a daycare sees the same thing - parents drag their small kids around or have playdates, then the kids get sick and the daycare room shuts down for a while.  It's not that the daycare had an outbreak, it's that a kid came down with covid somewhere else and the daycare (or school) has to note a positive case and react accordingly to prevent an outbreak.

I'm to the point where I feel that society needs to start learning to live with it as opposed to trying to control it.  It's never going to be controlled.  If the new variants start to become weaker, then I'll be comfortable with the risks - once my 4 year old is able to get vaccinated, it's "game on" for my family again.  We can protect ourselves as best as we can and comply with mask/vaccine rules as needed, and stop worrying about covid as much as we have been.

[TAC]

Not a day goes by now that I don't get an email from the school district announcing positive covid cases. It's literally every day now. 11 kids yesterday alone were positive. I asked my son if these kids are wearing masks. He says a bunch don't. I asked if the teachers yell at them and he says they do, but the kids just keep skirting the system.

I'm not surprised in the least. I'm a fish out of water in my area. Vax rates still suck in my county.

EDIT: Just got today's email. Another several positive cases.

   But those "emails" (but their emails!) are misleading and inflammatory. 

How are they misleading and inflammatory?

They basically state that 1 kid in the middle school has tested positive and I faculty member in the high school has tested positive. Seems pretty straightforward to me.

The rest of it is a pretty standard form letter.."Safety of our students and faculty are most important......"blah blah blah


The really just seem to be a reporting mechanism.

[Ben_Jamin]

Not a day goes by now that I don't get an email from the school district announcing positive covid cases. It's literally every day now. 11 kids yesterday alone were positive. I asked my son if these kids are wearing masks. He says a bunch don't. I asked if the teachers yell at them and he says they do, but the kids just keep skirting the system.

I'm not surprised in the least. I'm a fish out of water in my area. Vax rates still suck in my county.

EDIT: Just got today's email. Another several positive cases.

Look, not a skeptic; I have been vaccinated, including booster, and I am a mask maniac (at least when I travel).  I carry disposable ones in my car, and I have a couple of cloth ones I wear when traveling or wearing one for a longer time (they fog my glasses less).   But those "emails" (but their emails!) are misleading and inflammatory.   My state - leading the nation (at least at one point if not right this moment) in vaccination rates for it's population, and with many towns with mask mandates remaining in place, and our "positivity rate" seems to bounce like a mosh pit between about 1.9 and as high as 8 percent earlier this week.

I've flown 12 times in the last two months, and have gotten not one notification (contact trace) on anyone getting sick, and no media reports of "super spreader"-type events from flying.  All I'm saying here is that I don't think we should panic, and I don't think we can stick with the simple "masks on, not sick, masks off, sick" or "vaccine, not sick, no vaxx, sick" narrative any longer.  We're two years almost into this and the virus has defied those easy narratives the entire way and seems to continue to do so.   I'm still going to reduce my odds, no question, but that's all I'm doing, is reducing my odds.

Now you sound like me...

I've said it...Humans have a false belief they control the world.  This is proof that Humans do not and will never control the world. There's loads of things that we share this world with, and nature itself can easily wipe us all away if it wants to. We humans are doing things to this planet to speed up that process of killing ourselves.

You have to think, why are we humans so unhealthy that we panic when mass sickness arrives. So the only thing one can and should do is worry about themselves first and foremost. Because you could take the vaccine to prevent grandma from catching it, but then grandma decides she wants to go to the store or to live her life in happiness by seeing the world. Lots of Elderly are depressed because they can't go anywhere.

The trade-off of being so fearful we need to secure ourselves is it's effecting the mentality of a lot of people. It caused humans to be afraid of one another.

My issue with all of this pandemic is the blame. Why must people place blame on someone for causing turmoil to them,especially a sickness where it's difficult to pinpoint the exact cause. If you want to play the blame game, who is to blame? Yourself for not taking care of your health that now your susceptible to easy illness, or the person out there who has no clue to who you are and what your health issues are? Who's responsibility is it to take care of being healthy?

I can place blame on anyone, but yet, the only one that matters is me, and anything that happens to me is the cause of my actions, decisions, and choices. I do not have to emotionally respond to others, but when I do, actions happen such as fighting due to anger, releasing the tension of depression, or balling my eyes out because of a sad song.

[Grappler]

How are they misleading and inflammatory?

They basically state that 1 kid in the middle school has tested positive and I faculty member in the high school has tested positive. Seems pretty straightforward to me.

The rest of it is a pretty standard form letter.."Safety of our students and faculty are most important......"blah blah blah


The really just seem to be a reporting mechanism.

Exactly how I see it. 

We get the same emails and my wife is like "oh boy, another positive case in school."  I remind her that if our daughter were a close contact, we'd have already been notified by contact tracing and there is nothing to worry about.  By the time the letter goes out, it's just a note to parents to fulfill some state/government/school board requirement.

[Ben_Jamin]

How are they misleading and inflammatory?

They basically state that 1 kid in the middle school has tested positive and I faculty member in the high school has tested positive. Seems pretty straightforward to me.

The rest of it is a pretty standard form letter.."Safety of our students and faculty are most important......"blah blah blah


The really just seem to be a reporting mechanism.

Exactly how I see it. 

We get the same emails and my wife is like "oh boy, another positive case in school."  I remind her that if our daughter were a close contact, we'd have already been notified by contact tracing and there is nothing to worry about.  By the time the letter goes out, it's just a note to parents to fulfill some state/government/school board requirement.

They'd do the same if there was an outbreak of lice. "There's (insert number) of kids that have been found with lice." Then they'll institute daily lice checks. Which everyone in that school can get lice if interacting with the kids who do.

But, I also see how it can be considered misleading, in it's playing off the parents fears for the child's safety. It's causing parents to mislead in thinking the schools are where the children are getting Covid when it's showing not to be the case.

Does the email state, the home is where most issues are formed, even sickness. If your child is sick, keep him home.

Then also, how many of those children who tested positive had symptoms that were worrying. Or did the parents at the sign of the sniffles and runny nose take their kid to get tested? Most won't and feel it's a common cold and will just send their kid to "shake it off" which is what we do for the common cold, rather than take time off work to take their kid to the doctor to see exactly if it is Covid or the common cold, or something else entirely.

What is the better trade-off, taking off from work to stay home with your child, preventing you from earning a sustainable living? Or working to earn money so your child can have food to eat and toilet paper to wipe their ass?

[Harmony]

Many schools since the beginning of the pandemic have installed improved ventilation measures and policies around hand washing/sanitizing objects which are thought to greatly reduce transmission.  Airplanes have always had fairly low transmission rates because of their cabin airflow systems.  All of these things factor in.

When families share close quarters in their apartments/homes and sanitizing is probably less optimal and people are not wearing masks at all -- even when someone has symptoms - then transmission rates are bound to go higher.

If anyone can find it, I'd love to see the rates of other illnesses in schools right now.  In our area RSV has been very high since school began.  But I cannot say for certain school is where it is being spread, just that there seems to be a correlation with the start of school.  RSV is more droplet spread than Covid, so it makes sense in that when a kid coughs or sneezes and the droplet fall on surfaces others can pick it up easily.  Covid seems to have less fomite spread.

[Stadler]

Not a day goes by now that I don't get an email from the school district announcing positive covid cases. It's literally every day now. 11 kids yesterday alone were positive. I asked my son if these kids are wearing masks. He says a bunch don't. I asked if the teachers yell at them and he says they do, but the kids just keep skirting the system.

I'm not surprised in the least. I'm a fish out of water in my area. Vax rates still suck in my county.

EDIT: Just got today's email. Another several positive cases.

   But those "emails" (but their emails!) are misleading and inflammatory. 

How are they misleading and inflammatory?

They basically state that 1 kid in the middle school has tested positive and I faculty member in the high school has tested positive. Seems pretty straightforward to me.

The rest of it is a pretty standard form letter.."Safety of our students and faculty are most important......"blah blah blah


The really just seem to be a reporting mechanism.

Well, I guess the reaction is the inflammatory part, not the emails themselves, and since we're getting that reaction, that's why I say the emails are misleading.   We just know, it's well documented, that the press has really hammered the negativity around this issue, and it just seems as if the reporting has taken it's cues from that.  Plus our society in general is such that "hey, just giving you this info, nothing to worry about and here's why" isn't a viable option.  I haven't heard much scuttlebutt about this, but I would venture that school systems across the country are petrified of getting sued over this in some form or fashion.

That someone in YOUR school system gets another case of COVID doesn't NECESSARILY change anything for your kid.  The devil is in the details as it always is, but there's no way of making sure the reaction considers that.

[TAC]

How are they misleading and inflammatory?

They basically state that 1 kid in the middle school has tested positive and I faculty member in the high school has tested positive. Seems pretty straightforward to me.

The rest of it is a pretty standard form letter.."Safety of our students and faculty are most important......"blah blah blah


The really just seem to be a reporting mechanism.

Exactly how I see it. 

We get the same emails and my wife is like "oh boy, another positive case in school."  I remind her that if our daughter were a close contact, we'd have already been notified by contact tracing and there is nothing to worry about.  By the time the letter goes out, it's just a note to parents to fulfill some state/government/school board requirement.

They'd do the same if there was an outbreak of lice. "There's (insert number) of kids that have been found with lice." Then they'll institute daily lice checks. Which everyone in that school can get lice if interacting with the kids who do.

But, I also see how it can be considered misleading, in it's playing off the parents fears for the child's safety. It's causing parents to mislead in thinking the schools are where the children are getting Covid when it's showing not to be the case.

Does the email state, the home is where most issues are formed, even sickness. If your child is sick, keep him home.

Then also, how many of those children who tested positive had symptoms that were worrying. Or did the parents at the sign of the sniffles and runny nose take their kid to get tested? Most won't and feel it's a common cold and will just send their kid to "shake it off" which is what we do for the common cold, rather than take time off work to take their kid to the doctor to see exactly if it is Covid or the common cold, or something else entirely.

What is the better trade-off, taking off from work to stay home with your child, preventing you from earning a sustainable living? Or working to earn money so your child can have food to eat and toilet paper to wipe their ass?

Ben, to the bolded...the emails simply report. There are loinks to the CDC and stuff, but at no point is the school  making judgements on where it was caught.

Also, misleading? The schools are obligated to report cases. Fears the parents have is the parents's issue.


Here is an example of an email in our district last year..

Anytown Public Schools Notice of Positive COVID-19 Test

School Directly Affected: Middle/Senior High School

March 5, 2021

Dear Anytown Families,

I am writing to inform you that 1 student at the Middle/Senior High School tested positive for COVID-19. 

There are currently two students and two staff members who are actively positive within the district.  Since the start of school we have now had a total of 118 positive COVID-19 cases, 96 students and 22 staff.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For complete information on all cases please click on the COVID-19 dashboard link https://www.Anytownrschools.org/page/coronavirus-information  which is in the “Coronovirus Information” tab on the top of each page on the website.   A reminder that the dashboard is updated not only when we get positive cases but also when students and/or staff are no longer active.  Therefore this document is continually updated and changing according to the timelines established for each individual.  We will do our best to update in a timely manner.    This dashboard will provide families with information about active COVID-19 cases (students and staff)  in the school district.  It will also provide information about the number of students and staff who are being actively quarantined due to being a close contact to a positive case in school.   Finally, the dashboard will include the total number of cases in the schools at the bottom of the dashboard.  There will also be a link to the Anytown Board of Health page Anytown Board of Health Coronavirus Information Website and the Massachusetts Department of Health page Commonwealth of Massachusetts COVID-19 Information Website

It is always our first priority and our responsibility to keep our students and staff safe and to inform our school community.  We created a plan to address this scenario during our reopening planning process.  Part of this plan included the process of informing families whose student(s) were at risk of exposure or in close contact, and to provide support to the affected family as they navigate through this stressful experience.  I want to assure you that our Administrative team along with our Lead Nurse continue to meet to discuss each positive case.  We also are working closely with the Anytown Board of Health.

Our students and staff have been closely adhering to the recommended safety protocols including mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing.  We are grateful to our families for remaining diligent by their continued efforts to keep students home at the first sign of symptoms and for following our district checklist. The risk of additional transmission within our schools is greatly reduced by consistently practicing all of these measures.

Just a reminder that parents of students who are considered in close contact (defined by the CDC as being within 6 feet of the COVID+ individual for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more within a 24 hour period) will be notified privately by the school. Massachusetts has aligned its quarantine recommendations with recent updates by the CDC. Their data shows that shortened quarantine periods result in only a small chance that someone may develop COVID-19 after leaving quarantine. The small risk that someone may develop COVID-19 after a shortened strict quarantine period is outweighed by the expected benefit of reduced transmission from the expected increased cooperation with adherence to the quarantine, according to the CDC.

The majority of COVID-19 cases have incubation periods fewer than 10 days, although the possible incubation period is still 14 days. During the quarantine period, people must not have visitors in their homes and they cannot have contact with other people who live in their homes.

The 14-day quarantine recommendation remains in place for any person experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms during the quarantine period, even if they have a negative test, and for those unwilling or unable to conduct active self-monitoring of symptoms.

If the person does not have a test and does not have symptoms, they may be allowed to leave quarantine on Day 11 (following 10 days of quarantine).

Under either option, the individual must conduct active monitoring of their symptoms through Day 14 and get tested and isolate if they develop any sign of disease.

The guidance for a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 has not changed, which means they should stay in self-isolation for 10 days. They can resume public activities after the 10 days as long as they have gone for 24 hours without a fever and without taking fever-reducing medications like Tylenol and have experienced improvement in other symptoms, such as a cough that has gotten much better.

Specific information will be provided to any student who may be considered a close contact. 

Please understand that we cannot provide specific information about our school community members who tested positive.  If you have not been contacted by the school, your child was not a close contact of the affected school members.  Please continue to monitor your child for symptoms, and keep your child home if he/she/they shows any symptoms or is not feeling well. If you have any questions please contact the school nurse or building administrator.

We are following all Department of Public Health protocols, including collaborating with our local Anytown Board of Health, to complete contact tracing.  Additionally, we are asking those parents whose students get tested for COVID-19, to please report the results immediately to the school nurse.  We are continuously working hard to understand the impact of the virus on our school community and the timely transmission of information is critical.

We will continue to be vigilant in adhering to all of the state and local protocols that have been put in place while remaining committed to providing instruction and structure and supporting the students’ connection to the classroom.  There is no change to the learning models in any of the schools and we are continuing to have students learn in the hybrid model.  All schools in Anytown remain open at this time. 

For more information on COVID-19 symptoms and testing, visit: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/about-covid-19-testing#where-can-get-a-test?-  and/or https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread

Please contact us immediately should you or someone in your home begin to show symptoms.We are committed to continuous communication with and support of our families. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact your school nurse:

If there is additional transmission as a result of this case or a separate case, we will send out another message immediately.  Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Jow Blow

Superintendent of Schools


Everything below the line (which I put in, is a form letter that appeared on every email).

If someone finds this misleading, then they are looking for issues where there is none.

[King Postwhore]

We're #1!
We're #1!
We're #1!

In NH on reported cases per capita. I'm boostered so I'm not too worried but I worry about my dad who is so damn frail.  He gets his booster Saturday.

[lonestar]

We had a case here where a parent knowingly sent their kid to school after a positive result, saying she didn't understand the protocol. There are currently over 70 positive tests in the blast radius of this one kid now. Fortunately, it's in an area with an insanely high vax rate, I think the highest in the country, but that still doesn't forgive brash stupidity.