Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Aug 30, 2024 2:54:14 GMT
COVID-19 cases in youths rises with classes back in session - Published Aug 29, 2024
MONTEREY >> Four years after the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, schools and public health officials say they are still on edge every back-to-school season, as cases inevitably peak when students head back to the classroom.
Cases continue to surge in late July and early August when kids start to prepare for and go back to school, according to Brandon Gates, public health program manager of the communicable disease prevention and control unit at the county Department of Public Health. According to Gates, overall numbers in the county have been down but cases amongst 5 to 17-year-olds have peaked recently.
This peak “is exactly what we were expecting to see, knowing that schools started up the first and second week of August,” said Gates. “It was something that we saw the last couple years when school started back up. We did see an increase in cases and we fully expected (it) and prepared for that this year.”
Although experts note that cases are a bit harder to track now since most people who suspect they are sick take at-home tests and don’t report them, the county still has ways to detect the prevalence of COVID locally.
One of the ways in which the communicable disease prevention and control unit works to prevent the spread of infectious diseases is through syndromic surveillance. This involves working with local emergency departments and clinics to analyze local health data and early symptoms to detect warning signs of health trends.
The unit also utilizes wastewater surveillance to detect traces of the disease in the community. The public health laboratory works to determine which COVID variants are circulating in the community, according to Gates.
While cases did peak in the last few weeks, there has been a steady decline since early August, according to Gates. The rise in cases also has not been elevated to an outbreak.
In order to be classified as an outbreak per CDC guidelines, there must be five positive cases of COVID in one classroom within a week. Cases in the county have not reached this level.
“We’ve learned through the COVID times that when we have to close schools, it’s not good,” said Monterey County Superintendent Deneen Guss. “It’s not good for the kids, it’s not good for the communities. Schools need to be open and the way we keep our schools open is we keep our kids healthy.”
Guss said that schools continue to use safe practices such as encouraging kids to wash their hands periodically, stay home if they’re sick and wear a face covering once they return and are still experiencing slight symptoms.
The latest CDC guidelines recommend people stay home and away from others while their symptoms are active and a fever is present. Once the fever has curbed for 24 hours and symptoms have begun to dissipate, normal activities can resume with added precautions such as face coverings for the next five days.
Guss encourages parents to be cautious but allow their children to return to school once they feel better. “If kids are sick, they need to stay home … but at the same time, once they are well enough to be back in school, we need them to be in school,” she said.
Guss also explained that districts did a lot of work to update and improve ventilation systems in classrooms following the pandemic. Gates urges the community that on top of practicing “respiratory etiquette” such as covering coughs and washing hands, it’s important to also keep up to date with vaccinations.
“It’s about protecting yourself but also protecting others, the more medically fragile and vulnerable people in our communities,” he said.
Guss mentioned that while COVID vaccines are not part of the required list of vaccinations for students, it is recommended that parents vaccinate their children against the disease. “There’s just too much pushback,” said Guss about the vaccine. “It’s already really hard to get some parents on board with vaccines … there has not even been an attempt to try to have that one as a requirement.”
On top of monitoring COVID levels, the County Public Health department is keeping an eye on mpox, an infectious viral disease which was declared a global health emergency Aug. 14. Gates said there are currently no cases or suspected cases in the county and all health providers are required to report any suspected cases to the county right away.
To learn more about what to do in case of a positive COVID or mpox case, visit: www.countyofmonterey.gov/government/departments-a-h/health/public-health/communicable-disease-unit.
MONTEREY >> Four years after the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak, schools and public health officials say they are still on edge every back-to-school season, as cases inevitably peak when students head back to the classroom.
Cases continue to surge in late July and early August when kids start to prepare for and go back to school, according to Brandon Gates, public health program manager of the communicable disease prevention and control unit at the county Department of Public Health. According to Gates, overall numbers in the county have been down but cases amongst 5 to 17-year-olds have peaked recently.
This peak “is exactly what we were expecting to see, knowing that schools started up the first and second week of August,” said Gates. “It was something that we saw the last couple years when school started back up. We did see an increase in cases and we fully expected (it) and prepared for that this year.”
Although experts note that cases are a bit harder to track now since most people who suspect they are sick take at-home tests and don’t report them, the county still has ways to detect the prevalence of COVID locally.
One of the ways in which the communicable disease prevention and control unit works to prevent the spread of infectious diseases is through syndromic surveillance. This involves working with local emergency departments and clinics to analyze local health data and early symptoms to detect warning signs of health trends.
The unit also utilizes wastewater surveillance to detect traces of the disease in the community. The public health laboratory works to determine which COVID variants are circulating in the community, according to Gates.
While cases did peak in the last few weeks, there has been a steady decline since early August, according to Gates. The rise in cases also has not been elevated to an outbreak.
In order to be classified as an outbreak per CDC guidelines, there must be five positive cases of COVID in one classroom within a week. Cases in the county have not reached this level.
“We’ve learned through the COVID times that when we have to close schools, it’s not good,” said Monterey County Superintendent Deneen Guss. “It’s not good for the kids, it’s not good for the communities. Schools need to be open and the way we keep our schools open is we keep our kids healthy.”
Guss said that schools continue to use safe practices such as encouraging kids to wash their hands periodically, stay home if they’re sick and wear a face covering once they return and are still experiencing slight symptoms.
The latest CDC guidelines recommend people stay home and away from others while their symptoms are active and a fever is present. Once the fever has curbed for 24 hours and symptoms have begun to dissipate, normal activities can resume with added precautions such as face coverings for the next five days.
Guss encourages parents to be cautious but allow their children to return to school once they feel better. “If kids are sick, they need to stay home … but at the same time, once they are well enough to be back in school, we need them to be in school,” she said.
Guss also explained that districts did a lot of work to update and improve ventilation systems in classrooms following the pandemic. Gates urges the community that on top of practicing “respiratory etiquette” such as covering coughs and washing hands, it’s important to also keep up to date with vaccinations.
“It’s about protecting yourself but also protecting others, the more medically fragile and vulnerable people in our communities,” he said.
Guss mentioned that while COVID vaccines are not part of the required list of vaccinations for students, it is recommended that parents vaccinate their children against the disease. “There’s just too much pushback,” said Guss about the vaccine. “It’s already really hard to get some parents on board with vaccines … there has not even been an attempt to try to have that one as a requirement.”
On top of monitoring COVID levels, the County Public Health department is keeping an eye on mpox, an infectious viral disease which was declared a global health emergency Aug. 14. Gates said there are currently no cases or suspected cases in the county and all health providers are required to report any suspected cases to the county right away.
To learn more about what to do in case of a positive COVID or mpox case, visit: www.countyofmonterey.gov/government/departments-a-h/health/public-health/communicable-disease-unit.