Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia updates COVID-19 school guidelines
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia updates COVID-19 school guidelines
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia said evidence shows COVID-19 is becoming a milder infection in most children as a vaccine for kids becomes more widely available. They suggest continuing indoor masking requirements regardless of vaccination status.
PHILADELPHIA - The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has new guidelines for grade school in-person learning.
In a statement, CHOP officials said evidence shows COVID-19 is becoming a milder infection in most children as a vaccine for kids becomes more widely available.
They suggest continuing indoor masking requirements regardless of vaccination status.
Students and teachers with mild symptoms shoulder consider testing if available. If the test is positive, or not available, doctors suggest staying home for five days and returning if the symptoms have subsided.
For those who are exposed, but don't have any symptoms, CHOP recommends staying in school as long as the student remains asymptomatic.
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Dr. Mike Cirigliano with the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania believes we are going to have to get used to living with COVID-19.
"I think down the road it’s going to become like the flu where people will get sick and get the virus but because they’ve either had it before or they’ve been vaccinated it’s going to be more like an influenza sort of thing," Dr. Mike said.
Comfort Brown’s son is a student in the Philadelphia Public School System. She said she wants her kid in school but doesn’t agree with loosening the restrictions.
"My daycare we make sure that all our kids are negative before they come in, so I think every school system should be like that as well," Brown said.
Is the end of the coronavirus pandemic on the horizon?
When will the coronavirus pandemic end? That's a question we'd all like to know the definitive answer to. For now, there appears to be hope on the horizon. With widespread vaccinations and more people recovering from the omicron variant, Dr. Mike Cirigliano believes we could reach herd immunity and COVID-19 will eventually become a "nuisance."
Upper Darby School District has had a mask mandate throughout the year and already offers in-person, live virtual instruction and asynchronous learning.
They were already in line with most of the CHOP guidelines and have started adopting all of them.
Daniel McGarry, the superintendent of the district, said he’s met with his entire team including the nurses who told him they support these guidelines.
"If a staff or student is exposed to COVID-19 person and they are a household contact you’re only going to be able to come to school and work right away and not have to isolate for five days if you are fully vaccinated," McGarry said.
CHOP has urges all staff and students to get the vaccine and the booster.
McGarry said they’ve been encouraged by the vaccination rates and that they have been providing them for any students that want them.
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