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Frustrated to hear calls for school reopening in Maryland that focus on dates, rather than COVID metrics.
Further, framing that there is "no public health reason" to keep students out of schools ignores the individual health reasons.
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Further, framing that there is "no public health reason" to keep students out of schools ignores the individual health reasons.
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Yes, there's evidence that schools are a small multiplier on community cases. BUT during a surge, this is a small multiplier on a big number.
Think of cooking. Simmer setting won't burn on its own, but adding that same increase to already med-high heat is a problem.
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Think of cooking. Simmer setting won't burn on its own, but adding that same increase to already med-high heat is a problem.
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It is also indisputable that in-person education puts the people PHYSICALLY IN the schools at higher risk than they would be at home, even if it doesn't raise community incidence by a large multiplier. It's irresponsible to pretend otherwise.
https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-md-hogan-salmon-covid-schools-update-20210121-5r74ewa7nnfg7bq4hjsdrwcfju-story.html
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https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronavirus/bs-md-hogan-salmon-covid-schools-update-20210121-5r74ewa7nnfg7bq4hjsdrwcfju-story.html
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School risk can be managed with strategies such as surveillance testing w/ rapid turnaround. This requires resources which are notably not being offered in Maryland.
Without dedicated resources, suspected cases in school will overwhelm general testing and contact-tracing.
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Without dedicated resources, suspected cases in school will overwhelm general testing and contact-tracing.
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Following the metrics is so important. When metrics are met, we can have confidence that 1) school environment is safer for children, staff, families, and 2) health systems can respond to added burden from COVID in schools without sacrificing attention needed elsewhere.
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Following the metrics also gives us appropriate warning signals when the new variant begins to emerge, with its higher transmissibility. We don't have to wait for genomics. As we see cases rise, we act.
FOLLOW METRICS. Not dates.
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FOLLOW METRICS. Not dates.
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