More than 80 students at a Reno, Nevada, school are returning home after the very first day back to the classroom. Those kids, who are students at Marce Herz Middle School in Washoe County, are now quarantining at home due to a COVID-positive child coming to class, potentially exposing them to the virus. The child, as well as both parents, tested postive just two days earlier.
Across the US, many kids are gearing up to return to their classrooms or have started school already. But just like last year, experts are urging that schools take precautions to keep those kids safe. The delta variant, which is responsible for about 97% of new cases, has been absolutely surging across the nation in recent weeks, with pediatric case numbers rising steadily.
Last week in Washoe County, the positivity rate grew to 17.5%.
The delta variant is twice as transmissible as other COVID-19 variants. It also seems to be attacking children more frequently. The American Academy of Pediatrics reported an almost sevenfold increase in new child COVID infections in kids in just one month. During the first week of July, there were about 12,000 cases nationwide. By the first week of August, there were already 96,000 reported pediatric cases.
The parent of the sick child has reportedly refused to communicate with the Washoe County Health District staff or school officials, the health district said.
“We are not seeking to invest our limited resources in bringing charges against the parent at this time,” the health district said in a statement. “We are seeking cooperation from our community members.”
As impacted kids are quarantining at home, the principal of the school sent out a letter to the families impacted. He said that fully vaccinated kids can resume in-person classes. However, other students will need a negative test result and to be symptom-free if they want to return to school on August 17.
Debates over mask mandates have been going on as states begin sending kids back to school. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed an executive order barring school districts from making masks mandatory, though the state is leading the country in COVID cases. Other Republican leaders have acted similarly, which has many parents feeling that those leaders are gambling with the lives of their children.
Washoe County is requiring kids and teachers to wear masks in school.
Many people are still pushing back against the advice of health experts. Vaccination rates remain low in many states across the country. And when it comes to kids, those low vaccination rates are becoming more and more dangerous, because the delta variant impacts kids differently, causing more respiratory symptoms than other variants. There is new evidence showing that it can double the risk of being hospitalized, as well.
Chris Beyrer, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said, “Delta has changed a lot of things. But what has not changed is that our best protection is immunization.”
