DOCTOR IS IN by Dr. Adil Manzoor OP/ED
The year 2020 will forever ring in the heads of many as one of the worst years in the history of this country. Many people died, and many more were affected adversely in some way by the virus, directly or indirectly. At some point in 2020, physical learning in schools was not even on the cards. The consensus was that our schools needed to remain locked until the safety of students could be assured.
Well, the vaccines came around, and optimism filled the air. We were finally getting somewhere, even though children still could not take the vaccines. Schools started reopening across the countries, with mitigation measures like masks, proper ventilation, testing, social distancing, quarantine helping schools keep students safe.
Then, some months back, people as young as 12 years old were eligible to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Again, this was fabulous news. Now, we were finally getting somewhere. Or so we thought.
The virus, not to be defeated, evolved into newer, more contagious strains. One of these strains is the Delta virus, which is more transmissible than the parent strain. More transmissibility means more people can get the virus, which corresponds to more hospitalizations and deaths. To make matters worse, increased transmissibility may not even be the worst part of the Delta strain.
As you may have noticed, the Delta strain can still infect vaccinated people. That’s just a sucker punch right there because, why? Someone should tell the virus to chill out; it’s not that deep.
This development has, in turn, cast doubts about reopening schools again. I remember the arguments and fights about reopening schools last year, and here we are, in the exact same situation – maybe even worse, who knows.
The question on the lips of many parents is, “is it safe to reopen schools now because of Delta?” The question is quite simple; a polar one that only requires a “yes” or a “no,” yet we find ourselves struggling to answer the question.
For one, the mitigation measures that worked well last year may not be enough because this new strain is more transmissible. Aside from that, we have also known more about the fact that the virus is likely aerosol driven and the 6-feet rule hasn’t made sense to me as it wouldn’t prevent you from catching the virus, even if you were 10 feet away if another person with it was to sneeze without a face-covering on to prevent it from spreading. Also don’t forget that the virus can survive on surfaces for up to 72 hours (such as a stainless steel or plastic surfaces) and can spread via stool, tears and even blood! Everyone needs to continue to sanitize and wash their hands.
Let’s consider some of these measures and if they can still help. Number one, masks. Can it still help? Yes. More like, “hell yes!” actually. I was never a supporter of removing the mask mandate when we did and we greatly suffered for it, as we can now see. There have been many theories, scientific and conspiracy, about masks but one thing is beyond doubt, they work. Masks work. We can debate how much they work, but we cannot debate that they work.
The issue is, with the Delta strain, ordinary double-layered cloth masks may not work as well. Surgical masks are still quite dependable, but they are relatively loose-fitting for children. Because there is virtually no risk involved too with mask-wearing, it will still serve as an ever-essential mitigation tool for Delta.
Then, to ventilation. Studies have shown that opening windows not only helps reduce transmission of the virus, but also the sunlight itself is fatal to the virus. Data shows that 15 to 20 minutes of direct sunlight inactivates the virus! Using HEPA filters and air purifiers reduces transmission even more. It is, therefore, little wonder why New York have sought to make them available in schools.
Another key mitigation method is weekly testing of the virus and having a system of contact tracing, which may sound complicated, but rather is quite simple and can be automated. The entire system depends on assigned seating and knowing the whereabouts of the students in each class; by doing so, we will be able to keep track of all close contacts and if someone tests positive, can take appropriate steps to quarantine and test the close contacts.
Lastly, another method is to set up traffic patterns for the students in the schools. With class changes, the students would be required to follow the specified patterns and limit any un-needed mixing. This would limit the spread as those that may be possibly positive would not be mixing with other students in the highways.
Another mitigation measure, and perhaps the most dependable yet is vaccinations. Now, I understand kids below 12 cannot get the vaccines yet, but teachers can. There was a case where a teacher was found out to have spread the virus to half of her class. People that can get the vaccine should. While the Delta strain has shown to be able to evade the protective activities of the vaccine, the vaccines still work to a degree and getting booster doses seem to work just fine.
Other mitigation measures like social distancing and quarantine of suspected individuals must also not be neglected. I am a strong advocate for reopening schools, but only when it is safe. And these mitigation measures can help assure of some level of safety.
Those interested in learning more about the mitigation measures, check out: https://tinyurl.com/yx7mnpty.
Stay safe.
This article was written by Dr. Adil Manzoor DO, a Board Certified Internist & Board Eligible Pediatrician, who works as a Hospitalist, and Emergency Room Physician. He is also the current President of Garden State Street Medicine, a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to provide free preventive and acute urgent care services for the homeless. He is also the co-founder of his own unique medical practice Mobile Medicine NJ.
References
· https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/schools-mitigation-measures-in-the
· https://www.google.com/amp/s/healthblog.uofmhealth.org/childrens-health/back-to-school-during-delta-surge-8-things-parents-should-know%3famp
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· https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/22644686/covid-delta-back-to-school-schools-pandemic
