As schools reopen all around the Bay Area, many are worried about how much risk children are facing while in-person learning everyday.
With new positive cases coming out of various schools in just the last week of reopening, with two reported already in just two days at Santa Rosa schools, it’s unclear how much risk parents and teachers should have to tolerate in this new uncertain area.
It’s hard to gauge how easily children transmit the virus to one another.
"It really depends entirely on where you live," said Dr. Lucy McBride, a practicing internist in Washington D.C., to Holly Quan and Dan Mitchinson on Monday’s "Ask an Expert" segment. "Where case rates are surging are where vaccination rates are low."
It’s completely normal, and understandable, that parents should worry about their kids during this time. "Anxiety is normal but we have to acknowledge sometimes it can get ahead of us," she said.
It can also be extremely detrimental, especially for parent-child dynamics.
In a recent Atlantic op-ed, McBride wrote about how the constant anxiety we are dealing with on a daily basis can affect our ability to process rational thought. Most importantly, people need "to take stock of where we are emotionally" right now, she said.
Rising numbers of summer colds and allergies has not helped the situation, said McBride. "The best thing to do is see a pediatrician, get a test," she said. "We just need to know what we’re dealing with."
Looking ahead to Labor Day celebrations, McBride advised people to get tested before getting together with family if they’re living in an area with high transmission rates and low vaccination rates.
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