Children have been hugely affected by the indirect impacts of the pandemic. Globally,61 million children have been due to COVID-19. One billion children have fallen behind in their schooling since the pandemic began,as fewer Ten million young girls have been largely triggered by school closures.
A degree of angst as our children return to school in the midst of Australia’s highest case numbers is understandable. For two years,we have shut the classroom door whenever case numbers blipped – and there’s therefore a palpable unease that we’re no longer doing so,given this has become our conditioned response.
But our pandemic preparedness plans were originally established to respond to viruses that presumed children would be efficient transmitters – such as influenza. The we rapidly applied,presuming children would be key transmitters of SARS-CoV-2,have been far too slow to subsequently unfurl,and it is time we understood that in the context of COVID-19,.
As students return to the classroom,COVID-19 cases in schools will become frequent events. But when we consider how schools compare to other settings,it is evident that schools are a safer option for children and families than many common recreational family activities. When NSW school students returned to the classroom in October 2021,despite circulating virus within our community,we did not see a rapid rise in community viral cases,nor did we see an increase in.
In fact,case notification fell and then remained steady until December,when Christmas parties and social gatherings,coinciding with the introduction of Omicron variant,caused an. In term 4 last year,schools exposures increased 10-fold compared with term 3,but preventative measures implemented in schools worked:outbreaks were limited and NSW was successful in keeping schools open,with attendance of above 80 per cent after face-to-face teaching commenced. Missed face-to-face teaching became more common in students isolating as a contact of a case,rather than from COVID-19 itself.
We now have a wealth of data revealing that SARS-CoV-2 behaves like many common viruses that children are exposed to as part of their childhood. In fact,children are far more likely to be hospitalised for the endemic respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) – a virus for which a vaccine still does not exist,despite – than for COVID-19. We have never closed schools for viruses like RSV.
Due to many factors,,children have a mild illness (if any at all) when infected with SARS-CoV-2. Of one in five were asymptomatic,and a runny nose was the most common symptom in those children who did have symptoms. Data on Omicron from a number of global settings have provided more good news,confirming this variant is than previous variants.
While the illness itself is therefore not reason to close schools,by contrast,there is now conclusive evidence that pandemic-related school closures cause significant harm. Schools provide not just education,but a place for. Children’s brains have particularly important periods where learning and development are crucial,and a generation of disrupted learning contributes to.
Australia is in the fortunate position to have aand older. Yet experts agree,given the mild illness this virus causes in children. Many countries – such as Britain – have safely reopened schools, post exposure,even.
The NSW and Victorian governments have announced prudent,based on,when schools reopen next week. Australia’s exceptional vaccination rate in adults means teachers are well protected with efficacious vaccines,and while staff furloughing will undoubtedly occur,this is not a unique challenge for the education sector. Many other essential services have been working through these challenges as Omicron has evolved.
Simple infection control measures that parents can teach their children,such as good,have wider impacts that will reduce transmission of COVID-19 and many other infectious illnesses in children.
School is an essential service – a safety net for the vulnerable,a place where education helps children achieve their dreams,and a scaffold on which childhood development flourishes. These are unprecedented times and parents and students need not feel that they are alone or that their worries are trivial. At this point in the pandemic,schools are the safest place for children to be.
We owe it to our children,and our children’s children,to ensure that in 2022 – as we no doubt encounter evolving changes in the global pandemic – schools must be.
Archana Koirala and Phoebe Williams are paediatricians and infectious diseases physicians. Dr Koirala is clinical associate lecturer at the University of Sydney,whereDr Williams is a senior lecturer.