Science says Opening schools doesn't affect rates

[Kenny]

First off @KenS you shouldn’t say things like “Science says....”, since it immediately shows that you don’t understand science. This is a single epidemiological study in Sweden, not some kind of international consensus of all scientists in every field of research everywhere.

It isn't just Sweden, it is Iceland, Canada, Australia, Norway and other countries... and the fact that children aren't affected like adults (unless it is a child with real problems)

 

[Daemon Sophic]

It isn't just Sweden, it is Iceland, Canada, Australia, Norway and other countries... and the fact that children aren't affected like adults (unless it is a child with real problems)

Please read the remainder of my post. And my point still stands.

 

[Kenny]

Please read the remainder of my post. And my point still stands.

OK.

First of all, it was I that said "science says" but the doctor which I would assume he knows what he is talking about.

Although your points are good, my point still stands. There is no reason whatsoever to not have children go to school. There is more damage done by keeping them at home than if they go to school. As you noted, children are not affected the same. There transmission rate is actually lower that adults (according to the doctor).

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Here, and in regards to @lewisnotmiller discussion below, there is a common very significant step that seems to have been left out of the equations used for tracking the statistical significance of this research.
The Denominator.
Even the authoring researchers admit that actual antigen testing for the virus was only conducted on people who became ill. Since the children usually do not become significantly ill, they were not tested, at least not to the degree that the adults were, because the adults became ill.

Hi mate,

Just wanted to address this point, if I'm understanding it correctly.
Of the examples I provided, in each case the entire student and teacher base was asked to be tested, and very widespread testing occurred (notwithstanding there were some who didn't get tested, and in the case of Al-Taqwa at least, there was a strange lack of proof required on school re-entry).

We have also had a number (9) of very large community housing towers which were completely locked down, and where door to door testing of all residents occurred. That was a group of around 3000 residents of all ages.

So we have had a number of hotspot environments with a total population size running into the thousands, and with mixed age population where testing has occurred, regardless of an individual showing symptoms.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

The point is that although children do get it, they aren't affected by it

Does it matter?
Every child is presumably in contact with an adult at regular intervals. So if the child doesn't get sick, but does carry the disease, that seems almost worse than them getting just sick enough to be identifiable as a carrier.

 

[Kenny]

Does it matter?
Every child is presumably in contact with an adult at regular intervals. So if the child doesn't get sick, but does carry the disease, that seems almost worse than them getting just sick enough to be identifiable as a carrier.

Actually, statistically, children are less apt to cause adults to get COVID

And too that the stress to the family, the loss of education, that increase of abuse because children are home longer, and the difficulties it presents to families... the weight falls in favor of opening schools.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Actually, statistically, children are less apt to cause adults to get COVID

Less apt than adults to, perhaps. But one of my points, and one of the things we have seen here is that a school cannot function without adults, and kids can't get there without adults (in many cases). Also, schools aren't solely made up of 'children', but include young adults. 15 and 16 year olds seem to be much more adult-like in how the disease can be spread, etc, based on the limited reliable evidence I can access.

And too that the stress to the family, the loss of education, that increase of abuse because children are home longer, and the difficulties it presents to families... the weight falls in favor of opening schools.

I'm not so sure.
Is there advantage to opening schools? Yes, absolutely.
Is there disadvantage to opening schools? Yes, there is.

Which way does the weight fall? I think it might be a little more contextual.
Majority of Australia has schools open now, but Melbourne has reverted back to closure of schools.
Students can go in exceptional circumstances based on parent's work, or educational imperatives (for example, at risk kids can still attend school, kids of parents who can't supervise them can still attend...the principal signs off on each kid, but it's not rare, and both of my kids will be at school part time).

Here, we had things under control, and now have suffered from multiple clusters. So borders to other states have been closed to quarantine the state, basically, and getting those clusters under control is our key aim.
Other states have small instances and can throw substantial resources at controlling outbreaks, so opening schools makes more sense.

 

[shunyadragon]

Lung damage and long term health problems in asymptomatic infected children.

https://www.foxnews.com/health/over...ldren-tested-florida-positive-covid-19-report


Nearly one-third of every person under 18 years old tested for the coronavirus in Florida are positive for the virus, according to a report on Friday.

Palm Beach County’s health department director, Dr. Alina Alonso, warned county commissioners Tuesday about the potential long-term health consequences for children who catch COVID-19. She said the virus could cause lifelong damage even for children with mild illnesses.

“They are seeing there is damage to the lungs in these asymptomatic children. ... We don’t know how that is going to manifest a year from now or two years from now,” Alonso said, according to the Sun-Sentinel. “Is that child going to have chronic pulmonary problems or not?”

BROWARD COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT PUSHES FOR FULL ONLINE CLASSES IF CORONAVIRUS CASES DON'T DECLINE

Florida had tested 54,022 Florida residents under the age of 18, according to the state’s COVID-19 pediatric report on July 10. Of those tests, 16,797, or just over 31 percent, have come back positive. Meanwhile, the positivity rate for Florida's entire population stands at roughly 11 percent.

“This is not the virus you bring everybody together to make sure you catch it and get it over with,” Alonso told the paper. “This is something serious, and we are learning new information about this virus every day.”

Alonso's fears come as Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing for students to get back into the classroom in the fall, according to Fox 13.

“My kids are 3, 2, and a newborn, so they’re just too young to be in school now, but if they were 7, 6, and 5, I’d have no problem, I would view it as incredibly low risk,” DeSantis said during a press conference on Friday.

RUBIO SAYS 'COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS' NEEDED ON OPENING SCHOOLS: WE CANNOT 'ELIMINATE' 100 PERCENT OF RISK

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said last month that children and adolescents were “less likely to be symptomatic and less likely to have severe disease” resulting from a COVID-19 infection.

As of Tuesday, 4,514 coronavirus deaths have been reported in the Sunshine State, with four being younger than 18.

Still, the AAP and three other groups on Friday wrote: "We should leave it to health experts to tell us when the time is best to open up school buildings."

An April study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), also found that kids under the age of 18 have accounted for fewer than two percent of reported cases in the U.S., even though they make up roughly 22 percent of the population.

Meanwhile, the CDC issued an advisory back in May regarding a severe inflammatory condition found in children believed to be associated with the coronavirus. Doctors describe the inflammatory condition (MIS-C) as similar to Kawasaki disease, a rare illness that causes swelling in medium-sized arteries throughout the body.

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The pediatric report lists 13 such cases in Florida in children under the age of 18