Our Covid Dilemma
An article in The Atlantic is entitled, "Schools Aren't Super-Spreaders." A more recent article in The New York Times announces, "Schoolchildren Seem Unlikely to Fuel Coronavirus Surges." As an educator, these kinds of headlines are encouraging. Not that all the data is in, of course. There is still a lot we don't know about Covid, but the data so far seems to indicate that young children coming together in school settings aren't contributing significantly to our current surge in cases. This news isn't likely to stop educators from worrying about the health of the children we teach, the health of their families, and that of ourselves and our colleagues, but it is a bright spot as the pandemic continues to rage here in the US and around the world.
Yes, children still get sick, sometimes severely so, but it appears that like some other virus-caused illnesses like chicken pox, measles, fifth disease, and mumps, the severity of symptoms and the incidence of complications is higher in adults than kids. Indeed, children are more likely to be completely asymptomatic. That said, we also know that children can spread viral illnesses to those who are more vulnerable like their teachers and parents, but this is apparently not happening in a meaningful way with Covid, at least within the context of schools.
The question is, why? Is there something about the immune systems of young children that makes them naturally resistant? Could it simply be that they are low to the ground CONTINUE READING: Teacher Tom: Our Covid Dilemma