Face-to-face school - anyone else's kids start yet?

[Shoeless]

Every single kindergarten teacher is out with Covid at a local elementary school.  No masks at school, of course. 

The school isn't relaying info to parents, either. The parents have a fb group where they share info, and that's how it came to light that ALL the kindy teachers were out.  

Edited September 4, 2021 by MissLemon
typo

[SKL]

My kid told me that someone on her soccer team has Covid, and everyone who is not vaccinated will be quarantined.  However, I have not heard anything from the school folks.  She might have the info wrong.  We'll see.  There was nothing scheduled from Friday through Monday anyway.

[rebcoola]

Two of the rural districts have already gone virtual after a week.  Our much larger district is only reporting a handful of cases but has only been in session a couple of days.

[Tree Frog]

I'm currently long term subbing in a collab Pre k class for 3-4 year old special needs students who mostly don't mask but cough and sneeze frequently. I mask, but have had problems with students not hearing me well due to the mask, so I removed the filter from my mask. Though I'm vaccinated, I'm fully expecting to get Covid this fall. We have had teachers out this year already (3 weeks in) and an SLP and one teacher I was in direct contact are out on quarantine. One ofthe 2 have Covid, but I'm not sure which one. The school isn't notifying anyone.

Has anyone seen this? She is also on FB under the name Your Local Epidemiologist and there are some interesting discussions there.

Pediatric hospitalizations: Some important news today

Katelyn Jetelina Sep 3 125 2

 

Today we got two huge questions answered that we (epidemiologists, clinicians, and parents) have been anxiously waiting for…

1. What are hospitalization rates across different pediatric age groups? Until now, pediatric hospitalizations have only been reported as <18 years, which is not helpful.

2. Is Delta more severe for kids compared to previous variants? We know that Delta is more severe for adults. But is it for kids? Could that be explaining the high number of pediatric hospitalizations across the US?

The CDC just published a paper (50 minutes ago, you’re welcome) using data from the Coronavirus Disease 2019–Associated Hospitalization Surveillance Network (COVID-NET). This is a database of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations in 99 counties across 14 states. Scientists looked at pediatric hospitalizations from March 1, 2020–August 14, 2021. What did they find?

• The cumulative number of COVID19 hospitalization was 49.7 per 100,000 kids

  • Rates were highest among children aged 0–4 years (69.2 per 100,000) and adolescents aged 12–17 years (63.7 per 100,000)

  • Rates were lowest among children aged 5–11 years (24.0 per 100,000)

• Among pediatric COVID19 hospitalizations, 26.5% were admitted to an ICU, 6.1% required ventilation, and 0.7% of the children died

The rate of hospitalizations has dramatically increased in the past month

• Pediatric hospitalization rates are 5 times higher in August compared to June

  • The biggest increase was among 0–4 year olds, with a COVID-19 hospitalization rate 10 times higher in August compared to June

• The hospitalization rate among unvaccinated adolescents (aged 12–17 years) was 10 times higher than that among fully vaccinated adolescents

COVID-19–associated weekly hospitalizations per 100,000 children and adolescents,* by age group — COVID-NET, 14 states,† March 1, 2020–August 14, 2021 (3-week smoothed running averages)§

But, this isn’t necessarily because Delta is more severe

To assess severity of Delta compared to previous variants, hospitalizations were split up into two time periods: before Delta (March 1, 2020–June 19, 2021) and after Delta (June 20–July 31, 2021).

• The rate in which kids died, were admitted to the ICU, needed oxygen, or ventilation was not statistically different during Delta compared to before Delta:

  • Before Delta: 26.5% were admitted to an ICU, 6.1% required ventilation, and 0.7% died

  • After Delta: 23.2% were admitted to an ICU, 9.8% required ventilation, and 1.8% died

So, Delta is not likely more severe for kids. Increasing pediatric hospitalization rates are due to high transmission in the community.

Our vaccine wall for kids is largely working in states that have one

The CDC also published a second paper this afternoon, but it’s less surprising. This study looked at hospital records across states to see whether state-level vaccination rates impacted pediatric hospitalizations. In other words, does the vaccine immunity wall help kids? Drum roll…

• Emergency department visits and hospital admissions are higher in states with lower population vaccination coverage

• Emergency department visits and hospital admissions are lower in states with higher vaccination coverage

Bottom Line: Pediatric hospitalizations have dramatically increased in the past month. Yes, the media is accurately portraying the situation on the ground. And, hospitalizations have increased the most for 0-4 year olds. Importantly, this isn’t because Delta is likely more severe, it’s because we are transmitting Delta in the community and our kids aren’t protected. Your decision not to get a vaccine or implement public health measures in schools or the community is directly impacting the health of kids.

Please do your part this Labor Day weekend.

Love, YLE

 

[regentrude]

9 minutes ago, wilrunner said:

I'm currently long term subbing in a collab Pre k class for 3-4 year old special needs students who mostly don't mask but cough and sneeze frequently. I mask, but have had problems with students not hearing me well due to the mask, so I removed the filter from my mask. Though I'm vaccinated, I'm fully expecting to get Covid this fall.

Can't you wear a mic?

[kokotg]

I do wonder if the CDC took into account whether schools are back in session or not, when comparing hospitalization numbers in high and low vaccination areas...schools tend to start earlier in the south, and vaccination rates tend to be lower in the south (and places with high vaccination rates also tend to be the places with the most safety measures in place when schools do open). So what happened in August seems less telling than what will happen in September or October, when schools are open everywhere. I certainly hope the "vaccine immunity wall" holds up, but I just don't know that there are enough people vaccinated ANYWHERE right now (and there won't be until kids can be vaccinated). 

[KSera]

1 hour ago, wilrunner said:

. Scientists looked at pediatric hospitalizations from March 1, 2020–August 14, 2021. What did they find?

• The cumulative number of COVID19 hospitalization was 49.7 per 100,000 kids

  • Rates were highest among children aged 0–4 years (69.2 per 100,000) and adolescents aged 12–17 years (63.7 per 100,000)

  • Rates were lowest among children aged 5–11 years (24.0 per 100,000)

• Among pediatric COVID19 hospitalizations, 26.5% were admitted to an ICU, 6.1% required ventilation, and 0.7% of the children died

 

To assess severity of Delta compared to previous variants, hospitalizations were split up into two time periods: before Delta (March 1, 2020–June 19, 2021) and after Delta (June 20–July 31, 2021).

• The rate in which kids died, were admitted to the ICU, needed oxygen, or ventilation was not statistically different during Delta compared to before Delta:

  • Before Delta: 26.5% were admitted to an ICU, 6.1% required ventilation, and 0.7% died

  • After Delta: 23.2% were admitted to an ICU, 9.8% required ventilation, and 1.8% died

So, Delta is not likely more severe for kids. Increasing pediatric hospitalization rates are due to high transmission in the community.

 

 

I keep seeing this, but don’t understand why this is interpreted as not being more severe. Are the numbers too low to reach significance? It seems they would be high enough, but I haven’t looked at the original. Hospitalization looks the same, but ICU looks ~30% higher, and worse, death appears to be more than twice the rate as before. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

30 minutes ago, KSera said:

I keep seeing this, but don’t understand why this is interpreted as not being more severe. Are the numbers too low to reach significance? It seems they would be high enough, but I haven’t looked at the original. Hospitalization looks the same, but ICU looks ~30% higher, and worse, death appears to be more than twice the rate as before. 

I took it to mean that it was as severe before but it didn’t show before because overall numbers were lower. 

[Tree Frog]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

Can't you wear a mic?

 I hadn't considered it. I only have 3 more days in this class, though,

[KSera]

40 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I took it to mean that it was as severe before but it didn’t show before because overall numbers were lower. 

I took that the same overall, but they are saying that while the absolute numbers have increased due to larger numbers, the rate is the same, thus it’s not more severe. What I’m saying, is that while hospitalization rates look essentially the same to me, the ICU and especially death rates appear on the surface to be higher to me. Significantly higher, IMO, in the case of deaths. And since that is a rate per population, the current higher numbers doesn’t account for it.

[Jean in Newcastle]

22 minutes ago, KSera said:

I took that the same overall, but they are saying that while the absolute numbers have increased due to larger numbers, the rate is the same, thus it’s not more severe. What I’m saying, is that while hospitalization rates look essentially the same to me, the ICU and especially death rates appear on the surface to be higher to me. Significantly higher, IMO, in the case of deaths. And since that is a rate per population, the current higher numbers doesn’t account for it.

I wonder if (and I can't remember which thread this was in) the talk about how subsequent infections can be worse, could be a factor?  If kids have been getting asymptomatic infections prior but then got reinfected, then they might then end up in the hospital and ICU. . .

[Kanin]

It only took 3 days, and there's a positive student case at my school. 150 kids total. Rural-ish Maine.

Geez!

Oh, and none of the kids need to quarantine, despite being close contacts, because they were wearing masks all the time.... except when they're eating lunch in their classrooms, and snack in their classroom... because they were 6 feet apart during that time. 😬 🙄