Staying Healthy During the Pandemic
Knowledge is Power. Information is Liberating.
Education is the Premise of Progress, in Every Society, in Every Family. ~ Kofi Annan
The start of a new school year generally comes with a variety of emotions- typically feelings such as excitement, joy, and curiosity top the list.
In 2020, the start of a new academic school year comes in the middle of a global pandemic, and it can bring overwhelming feelings for everyone, especially parents. As parents, this pandemic has brought us new worries and stress, especially when it comes to the safety of our children.
Over the past six months we faced a lot of uncertainty. During this time, experts learned more about the virus- and the world focused on the steps we all could take to prevent infection and to slow the spread of the illness to others. At first, many of the fears that COVID-19 induced were due to the unknown nature of the illness. Now that we have information on how to stay healthy, we can begin to manage these potentially overwhelming feelings by taking proper safety precautions to keep our children, family, and ourselves safe.
It is important to note that based on evidence provided by the CDC, it seems as though children are not at a higher risk than adults of contracting the virus. To the relief of parents everywhere, it seems that adults make up most of the cases, and there have only been a few children who have been sick with COVID-19.
It is still important to be aware of the symptoms and signs associated with COVID-19, which are :
Fever, Fatigue, Headache, Muscle pain, Cough, Nasal congestion , New loss of taste or smell, Sore throat, Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, Abdominal pain, Diarrhea, Nausea or vomiting, Poor appetite or poor feeding
The CDC is currently investigating the link between an illness known as Multi-System Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) and COVID-19. From the research that has been done thus far, it seems as though most children are not severely affected by COVID-19. It seems that many children who develop MIS-C have also tested positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive. Researchers are not yet sure about the link between these two illnesses and are currently investigating further. If you want to learn more about this, click here for the article on the CDC website. For now, keep looking out for the symptoms listed above, and contact your medical provider if you feel that any of these symptoms are present.
Taking safety precautions that are recommended by the CDC helps protect children and others from the spread of COVID-19. It is recommended that you continue to follow these everyday preventative actions to help children stay healthy
Keep hands clean with frequent hand washing using soap and water. Wet hands with water, apply soap, lather hands by rubbing them together with the soap, scrub the back of your hands, between fingers, under your nails, up to your wrists, and scrub for at least 20 seconds. Grab disposable paper towels, dry hands, and use a paper towel to close the sink. Dispose of paper towel. Use Hand Sanitizer when washing at a sink is not possible.
Avoid people who are sick avoid visiting or being in contact with anyone who is sick, even if they do not have COVID-19 it’s best to stay as healthy as possible and avoid any illness all in all. Also if you or your child is sick, or think that you may have been exposed to COVID-19, then reach our to your medical provider, follow all of their care instructions, and practice self quarantining for 14 days.
Practice social distancing by maintaining 6 feet apart from others when out in public, and make sure to always wear your mask. It is also important to limit your child’s in-person play time with other children, it can help to connect virtually if possible. Also be conscious of anyone in your home or within your family who is at a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. If there are older family members who you rely on for childcare while you’re at work, make sure to limit your child’s contact with other people outside of your household in order to increase the safety of everyone.
Wear a mask when you are going to be out in public, and any time you cannot ensure proper social distancing from others. Children 2 years and older should wear a mask as well. Most businesses and public places in our area are requiring all visitors to wear a mask when out in public. The mask should cover your nose and mouth. If you choose to wear a medical disposable mask make sure to dispose of it after it has been worn (do not use the same mask more than one time). If you have reusable masks, make sure that they are washed after each use.
Clean and disinfect surfaces that are commonly touched and used in your home. For example; tables, counters, chairs, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, phones, computers, tablets, toilets, and sinks.
Wash and do laundry as often as possible. It is important to regularly wash plush animals, soiled clothes, blankets, and promptly wash the dirty laundry from a person who is sick. Washing and disinfecting dirty items will help prevent the spread of illness, and help keep your child healthy.
Immunizations should be up to date.
Although these have been very abrupt changes in our everyday routine, typically children are able to quickly adapt to new situations, especially when it is modeled by their caretakers. That is why it is important to make sure that as adults, we are following the CDC’s recommendations, and become role models for our children on how to properly follow these safety precautions. By keeping our children and ourselves healthy we are helping keep others safe as well- and together we can continue to slow the spread of this virus.
These links from the CDC will provide you with more information on how to keep your child healthy during this pandemic and includes important resources for parents.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children/protect-children.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/children/mis-c.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/parental-resource-kit/index.html