Classes in the United States: the boys return to the classroom without a common protocol and with the Delta variant lurking

Paula Lugones

08/30/2021 1:40 PM

• Clarín.com

• World

Updated 08/30/2021 1:40 PM

The yellow school buses that had been abandoned for more than a year began to paint the landscape of the mornings in the United States: this Monday,

face-

to-

face classes

began

in most of the country, amid great uncertainty due to the advance of the variant Delta, the emergence of Covid 19 cases among the youngest and the low vaccination rate of students.

Thousands of children, teachers and professors were seen this Monday at the entrance of elementary, middle and high schools in Washington DC and its surroundings,

putting on their masks

when entering buildings, because this accessory - which is no longer used here outdoors - is still

mandatory

today

in most school districts in the country.

The

"back to school"

, after a year of virtuality and after a period of hybrid regimen, should have been a party of return to normality, in a country that has applied hundreds of millions of doses and has as many available for its population.

But

Delta marred the celebration.

Gel alcohol to enter school.

Photo: AP

More sick boys

Nationally, cases among boys

have quadrupled

last month: in the week ending July 22,

38,000 cases

were reported

,

while

in the week ending

August 19 there were

180,000 infected,

according to the Academy of Pediatrics of The United States, a figure that had not been seen since last winter.

Boys accounted for more than 22% of all reported cases in the country, and hospitalizations increased 3.6%.

These numbers

fuel parental anxiety

about whether schools are safe.

Protocols

The school system

is very decentralized.

Each district in the country must decide the sanitary measures to be implemented and whether or not to oblige teachers, employees and students to be vaccinated.

The Center for Diseases and Control (CDC)

recommends mandatory masks

inside the building, vaccinations, weekly tests for those who do not want to be immunized, ventilated environments,

contact sports with face masks

.

But, as much as the White House wants, the national state

cannot demand

certain policies that must be resolved at the local level.

A sign welcomes students to a school in North Miami Beach.

Photo: Reuters

Some Republican governors have fought

fierce battles

to prevent school districts from imposing mandatory measures or requiring teachers to get vaccinated yes or yes to teach.

They argue that each person has the individual freedom to be vaccinated or not, regardless of whether they infect.

The Republican governor of Florida, Ron de Santis, for example, has just lost a lawsuit in the state court and now school authorities

will be able to impose vaccination and mandatory use of masks

on teachers, a measure that the official refused to consider as essential.

Florida is a very strong focus for Delta these days.

Melissa Nolan, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of South Carolina, was part of a study that found that 30% of parents reported that

their child was exposed to COVID at school

, daycare, or in an after-school program.

The study also found that 20% of South Carolina children tested positive.

CASES

0.000.00000.000

per million inhab.

Xxxxx

DEATHS

00,0000,000

per million inhab.

Source:

Johns Hopkins

Chart:

Flourish

|

Infographic:

Clarín

A political issue

Consulted by

Clarín

, the expert said that “unfortunately, the public health guide for the return of school-age children to presence has become

a very political issue

in the United States.

We know that wearing masks and social distancing are our best risk mitigation techniques and we have already seen these effects.

In states and cities where masks are required and children are adequately distanced, there is a lower burden of transmission of COVID-19 ”.

And he added: “We are already seeing throughout the country that vaccination has a significant reduction in serious diseases and death.

The fact that approximately

90%

of all COVID-19 hospitalizations occur

among unvaccinated people

indicates that children will benefit from vaccines.

It is expected that they will be available for children up to 2 years of age

in the coming months

. "

Guys with chinstraps line up to go to college in Texas.

Photo: AP

According to the CDC,

13% of boys ages 12 to 15

across the country and just 5.2% of those

ages

16 and 17 are vaccinated with two doses.

In large urban centers the level of immunization is higher than in

suburban and rural sectors.

Richard M. Carpiano, professor of Public Policy at the University of California, told

Clarín

that in schools “the situation

is not optimally safe

. It is not clear to what extent the Delta variant can be more harmful to children than other variants, but Delta is more infectious and cases among children are increasing substantially, as are hospitalizations.

He added: “To the extent that certain jurisdictions are not adopting basic measures such as wearing masks or requiring that teachers and staff be vaccinated, and even updating ventilation systems to reduce transmission, the school environment presents

many opportunities. of infection

, especially in communities where the transmission of cases is already present ”.

A school bus driver takes the boys ready in Kentucky.

Photo: Reuters

Carpiano believes that “for your safety and the safety of your students, teachers and school personnel should be required to be vaccinated.

It is encouraging to see that not only the government but also the teacher unions in the United States support this measure. "

The vaccine for children under 16 is

still for "emergency" use.

It is believed that when it is fully approved (as the FDA did with Pfizer for those over 16 weeks ago) it

will change the landscape

in schools because it could be included within the school calendar.

Carpiano notes that “many US states already require that children receive other vaccinations (measles, mumps, chicken pox) in order to attend school.

However, at this time, adding it as a requirement would only cover children of certain ages who are eligible to receive the vaccine.

Therefore, it would have a limited impact.

Once the vaccine is approved for a broader age range, this is a policy that

should be seriously considered. "

Universities also began classes on Monday amid the Delta boom.

Almost all of them

require chinstraps

in classrooms and many, such as Chicago and Maryland, already require their students and teachers to be vaccinated.

Those who resist immunization must undergo the discomfort of

two PCRs per week.

Washington, correspondent

ap

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