Keeping kids safe in the classroom is on everyone’s minds as schools reopened recently for in-person learning.
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Already, many districts have suffered COVID-19 exposures, causing some to wonder if there are better strategies to keep schools open.
"The more testing we do the more cases we are picking up," said Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg, a private practice physician and Research Associate at UC Davis’s Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation department on Tuesday’s Ask an Expert. "The important metric to be looking at is the hospitalizations."
The rate of hospitalizations has been relatively low in San Francisco and around the country, said Hoeg. But with school back open and the delta variant transmitting faster, it’s something to look out for, she told KCBS Radio’s Holly Quan and Dan Mitchinson on Tuesday.
While most schools are pretty consistent with indoor masking mandates, Hoeg said there is some discrepancy in outdoor masking with private schools.
"With masking, adherence is one of the top issues," said Hoeg. "We’re not seeing that masking in schools correlates with case numbers." Masks are not always 100% effective, and shouldn’t be considered the top form of protection.
"The most important thing for protecting our kids is vaccinating the adults around them," said Hoeg.
"Adults have been considered the superspreaders in the pandemic," she said. "Less so the kids."
According to Hoeg, symptom screening, staying home when individuals feel sick, and ventilation are the most important things for keeping classrooms safe.
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