Selected Podcast
Tips for Returning to School Safely During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Now that people are starting to return to work and school in person, Dr. Methuel Gordon discusses tips for returning to school safely while the COVID-19 Pandemic continues.
Featuring:
Methuel Gordon, MD
Dr. Gordon is a pediatrician at Palouse Pediatrics, part of the Pullman Regional Hospital Clinic Network. Using his experience and medical expertise to provide the best care for children is very important to him, and this is most effective when he can provide a nurturing and caring environment where families feel like they are being heard. When he is not providing care to patients, Dr. Gordon enjoys spending time with his family and travelling. Transcription:
With a relentless focus on excellence in healthcare, Pullman Regional Hospital presents the Health Podcast.
Deborah Howell: You know, we've all been learning new ways to live and work during the COVID-19 crisis. But now, many of us are going back to work and our kids are going back to school and we all want to do this safely.
To give us some tips for returning to school safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, we'll speak with Dr. Methuel Gordon, a pediatrician at Palouse Pediatrics, part of the Pullman Regional Hospital Clinic Network. Dr. Gordon, welcome.
Methuel Gordon: Hi, Deborah. How are you doing?
Deborah Howell: Great. So nice of you to make time for us today. How risky is it to return to in-person class at this point in the COVID-19 pandemic?
Methuel Gordon: Well, I think that's a very difficult question. I think it certainly depends on the individual and the family who's answering the question because it will vary depending on the family. We all take risks every day. I think what we normally do is we're used to assessing risks. We weigh benefits and then we act. We know as regards to this COVID-19 vaccine and the numbers and certainly data has proven that out in children, that the risk to them overall is very low. The risk for hospitalizations, the risk for severe disease or death is extremely rare and very low children.
However, I think each family has to take a look at their situation because, of course, most parents are concerned, "Okay. What if my child gets the disease and brings it home to someone else who lives at home who may be at higher risk?" So there are certain questions you have to answer. Do you have a household member at risk for severe disease?
And I think there's a tool on the CDC website. Families can go to cdc.gov. And they've had this article out for awhile. People can just go to the website. The article they can search on Making Decisions About Children Attending In-person School During the COVID-19. It's a very good guide for parents and guardians and caregivers.
It's basically a checklist, right? You can go to the checklist for back to in-person learning. There's like 11 questions. They can answer those questions. You answer for each item yes, no, unsure or not applicable. If your answer to a majority of those questions is yes, then you should strongly consider in-person learning. So there are tools out there. CDC provides one that can help families objectively make that decision.
Deborah Howell: Sure. And once again, that's cdc.gov.
Methuel Gordon: Correct.
Deborah Howell: What are some of the fears parents or children might have about returning to class?
Methuel Gordon: Oh, wow. I guess if you were to look at the past year, several months, being a season of fear, I think you can physically look at it. But families, they have a lot of concerns. In general, I mean, I think everyone's afraid of getting sick from COVID, afraid their precious child will get sick from COVID. They are afraid of dying from COVID. Most parents are concerned their child could get COVID, bring it back home to someone at home who's vulnerable.
Some are concerned that maybe their school, depending on the district they’re in and the school they're going to, they have questions about are their school's doing enough to take the necessary precautions to prevent disease spreading in their school community. And so there are a lot of concerns.
It's so interesting because there's also been this kind of strange phenomenon that I have noticed from talking to a number of my families. Some of which, they've had cases in their household, children and adults alike, and there's this general guilt associated with people getting the disease. And it's very interesting. It's not something I'm used to seeing throughout practice with other illnesses. It's almost like there's this guilt associated with it.
You know, if you get the disease, there's this feeling like "I didn't do enough to prevent it from happening." And if you get it and pass it on to someone, somehow you're responsible for passing it on. And this very odd phenomenon that I've seen in the number of families and even friends who've contracted the disease to the point where it's "I can't get over this guilt." And that's difficult to see. It's strange to be honest. And I guess it's the environment that's been created over the past several months to a year.
It's almost sad to see, because here we have a disease that despite extensive measures, lockdown, isolation, and this has been global, right? Community-wide and standard hygiene practices on everyone. It's all about taking care of each other. And I think most people are doing a very good job at doing that. And yet, you have an illness that has managed to infect close to 132 million worldwide and claimed the lives of close to three million people worldwide.
I think it's hard when I see parents and families have that mentality of, "Oh, wow. I didn't do my best and somehow I'm responsible for getting the disease or passing it on." It's hard to see. There are a lot of fears and concerns that I have encountered from different families, throughout this past year. So there's certainly a lot of fear out there, I would say.
Deborah Howell: Yeah. I have to say I'm a little encouraged that people have conscience about this, you know, because there are so many deniers of vaccines and people who won't wear masks. I'm glad to hear the other side that people are very concerned and doing everything they can.
Methuel Gordon: I think they are. As a whole, people are doing their best, the best that they can.
Deborah Howell: Yeah. Let's hope. Now, are there some conversations parents and caregivers can have with students beforehand to prepare for returning to in-person school?
Methuel Gordon: I think so. And I get that question a lot. You know, "What do we do? Should we consider in-person learning? Is it safe do that?" And I usually start with encouraging families that you have to do your best to advocate for your child's wellbeing. And again, as a whole well-being, physical, mental, and for many people, that's spiritual as well. So starting with that, you need to advocate for your child's well-being.
And yes, we realize we're in the midst of a pandemic and everyone's family makeup is different, right? So some of the conversations they could have, "Let's assess risks in our family." Like I have a child who's generally healthy, no comorbid or significant risk factors to developing severe disease. Mom and dad are generally healthy, also low-risk, maybe in-person learning is something you'd want to consider. If you decide that your child is best served by being in an in-person setting, even the school's taking all the necessary precautions and maybe something that would better serve your child, because I think it's been a very difficult year for a lot of our children.
It's interesting because, you know, throughout my day-to-day encounters, we used to see a lot of illness and disease and cold and usual viral syndromes this time of year. And those numbers have been certainly lower than they have been and before, but we're seeing a lot of mental illness, depression, anxiety, suicide. And so that's also something to consider. So we do have to find a good balance for our children. And again, realizing we need to take all the necessary measures to be safe and to stay safe. And that's very important.
Deborah Howell: Yeah. It makes me want to ask you what are some ways to help children, parents, and teachers stay safe as classes return?
Methuel Gordon: Well, again, just reiterating most of what the CDC has been saying over the past several months to a year. We talked about hand-washing. sanitizing as much as you can, physical distancing. And I know lot of people use the term social distancing. Personally, for me, I'm not a fan of that Durham. I think physical distancing is more appropriate because we do need to find ways to communicate, to stay in touch because that's very important for mental health. You know, we are very social beings. So as far as physical distance and guidelines and really following those as best as you can, I encourage parents to touch base with their schools.
If you're not comfortable with the level of precautions they're taking, maybe give input as to what you think what's missing, what they could be doing differently to help improve your level of comfort with your child going back to school.
Deborah Howell: I love the distinction. Physical distancing and not social distancing because of the mental health aspect. That's really key. Now, if a student is exposed to COVID-19, what do you recommend for the student and their family members?
Methuel Gordon: Again, this information is probably repeated like numerous times, but again, following CDC guidelines. First, you determine degree of contact or exposure, right? And then, so their current definition for that is if you're within six feet of someone who you found out later on had COVID for more than 15 consecutive minutes or accumulative 15 minutes during any one exposure or multiple exposures, that's first determining whether you are exposed or not and defining that's important.
And following the testing recommendations for CDC. Again, most after an exposure most of our children, they're generally asymptomatic when they come in. They come in with the chief complaint, "I've been exposed. What do I do next?" Usually, we wait at least five, six days after an exposure to perform COVID-19 test, which is important because you want to avoid getting like a false negative if you do the test too early and so sticking to that guideline.
If tests are positive or you need to quarantine, again that's per guidelines. For most it's anywhere between seven to 14 days depending on your state because that varies. But yeah, having a period of quarantine after an exposure so you can prevent or avoid passing or transmitting the disease to someone else unwittingly.
So certainly a lot of measures. I think most states and most areas certainly in our community, testing is to the point where it's very easy to get a test done. And most result's turnaround time is very reasonable within one to two days. And so, you know, most of our kids, they just get the test, it’s ruled out and they'd go back to school as soon as we get the negative result. And if there was an exposure, they're still required to remain isolated for longer period. So, certainly a lot of steps we can take to prevent spread.
Deborah Howell: We're running low on time, but I have a couple more questions for you. There's a lot of confusion around this. If you've had COVID and you've recovered, do you need to get vaccinated or should you?
Methuel Gordon: Currently, the guideline is yes. You should consider getting vaccinated. Obviously, everyone's going to have to make that decision on whether to do the vaccine or not. There's certainly a lot of fears about that. Thus far, the three main vaccines, at least the two, Pfizer and Moderna, most of the safety data has been out and it's found to be very safe and efficacy data is really significantly high, which is really good and fortunate.
And so yes, generally, if you believe you've been exposed, you've had the disease at some point, it's been more than say three, four months, if you’re in a higher risk group or if you have a family or household members who are in that group, then currently the guideline is still to consider doing the vaccine.
Deborah Howell: And do you have any final tips to help ease anxiety around this situation?
Methuel Gordon: Yeah. That's a more difficult question. I mean, as far as easing anxiety around your children, again I go back to the risk to your child from severe disease is extremely rare. Again, your child's mental health and future are also very important. And maybe you're able to fully meet your child's needs in a virtual setting. And if that's the case, then that's fine. But again, we really have to weigh pros and cons and when we decided to make that decision.
And one of the things I've picked up on, I often hear this term "We're at war with COVID. We're fighting this war against COVID-19 virus." And, personally for me, I'm not a big fan of that analogy, you know, because It felt like in war sometimes you have collateral damage. And I think we cannot in this "war" against COVID-19 allow our children to be collateral damage. not fair.
Deborah Howell: Not only are you a wonderful physician, you're a deep thinker. And Dr. Gordon, we appreciate your time and everything you do. Thank you so much for being with us today.
Methuel Gordon: Oh, sure. Thanks, Deborah.
Deborah Howell: For more information as well as more podcast episodes, learn more at PullmanRegional.org. This has been the Health Podcast from Pullman Regional. I'm your host, Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a terrific day.
With a relentless focus on excellence in healthcare, Pullman Regional Hospital presents the Health Podcast.
Deborah Howell: You know, we've all been learning new ways to live and work during the COVID-19 crisis. But now, many of us are going back to work and our kids are going back to school and we all want to do this safely.
To give us some tips for returning to school safely during the COVID-19 pandemic, we'll speak with Dr. Methuel Gordon, a pediatrician at Palouse Pediatrics, part of the Pullman Regional Hospital Clinic Network. Dr. Gordon, welcome.
Methuel Gordon: Hi, Deborah. How are you doing?
Deborah Howell: Great. So nice of you to make time for us today. How risky is it to return to in-person class at this point in the COVID-19 pandemic?
Methuel Gordon: Well, I think that's a very difficult question. I think it certainly depends on the individual and the family who's answering the question because it will vary depending on the family. We all take risks every day. I think what we normally do is we're used to assessing risks. We weigh benefits and then we act. We know as regards to this COVID-19 vaccine and the numbers and certainly data has proven that out in children, that the risk to them overall is very low. The risk for hospitalizations, the risk for severe disease or death is extremely rare and very low children.
However, I think each family has to take a look at their situation because, of course, most parents are concerned, "Okay. What if my child gets the disease and brings it home to someone else who lives at home who may be at higher risk?" So there are certain questions you have to answer. Do you have a household member at risk for severe disease?
And I think there's a tool on the CDC website. Families can go to cdc.gov. And they've had this article out for awhile. People can just go to the website. The article they can search on Making Decisions About Children Attending In-person School During the COVID-19. It's a very good guide for parents and guardians and caregivers.
It's basically a checklist, right? You can go to the checklist for back to in-person learning. There's like 11 questions. They can answer those questions. You answer for each item yes, no, unsure or not applicable. If your answer to a majority of those questions is yes, then you should strongly consider in-person learning. So there are tools out there. CDC provides one that can help families objectively make that decision.
Deborah Howell: Sure. And once again, that's cdc.gov.
Methuel Gordon: Correct.
Deborah Howell: What are some of the fears parents or children might have about returning to class?
Methuel Gordon: Oh, wow. I guess if you were to look at the past year, several months, being a season of fear, I think you can physically look at it. But families, they have a lot of concerns. In general, I mean, I think everyone's afraid of getting sick from COVID, afraid their precious child will get sick from COVID. They are afraid of dying from COVID. Most parents are concerned their child could get COVID, bring it back home to someone at home who's vulnerable.
Some are concerned that maybe their school, depending on the district they’re in and the school they're going to, they have questions about are their school's doing enough to take the necessary precautions to prevent disease spreading in their school community. And so there are a lot of concerns.
It's so interesting because there's also been this kind of strange phenomenon that I have noticed from talking to a number of my families. Some of which, they've had cases in their household, children and adults alike, and there's this general guilt associated with people getting the disease. And it's very interesting. It's not something I'm used to seeing throughout practice with other illnesses. It's almost like there's this guilt associated with it.
You know, if you get the disease, there's this feeling like "I didn't do enough to prevent it from happening." And if you get it and pass it on to someone, somehow you're responsible for passing it on. And this very odd phenomenon that I've seen in the number of families and even friends who've contracted the disease to the point where it's "I can't get over this guilt." And that's difficult to see. It's strange to be honest. And I guess it's the environment that's been created over the past several months to a year.
It's almost sad to see, because here we have a disease that despite extensive measures, lockdown, isolation, and this has been global, right? Community-wide and standard hygiene practices on everyone. It's all about taking care of each other. And I think most people are doing a very good job at doing that. And yet, you have an illness that has managed to infect close to 132 million worldwide and claimed the lives of close to three million people worldwide.
I think it's hard when I see parents and families have that mentality of, "Oh, wow. I didn't do my best and somehow I'm responsible for getting the disease or passing it on." It's hard to see. There are a lot of fears and concerns that I have encountered from different families, throughout this past year. So there's certainly a lot of fear out there, I would say.
Deborah Howell: Yeah. I have to say I'm a little encouraged that people have conscience about this, you know, because there are so many deniers of vaccines and people who won't wear masks. I'm glad to hear the other side that people are very concerned and doing everything they can.
Methuel Gordon: I think they are. As a whole, people are doing their best, the best that they can.
Deborah Howell: Yeah. Let's hope. Now, are there some conversations parents and caregivers can have with students beforehand to prepare for returning to in-person school?
Methuel Gordon: I think so. And I get that question a lot. You know, "What do we do? Should we consider in-person learning? Is it safe do that?" And I usually start with encouraging families that you have to do your best to advocate for your child's wellbeing. And again, as a whole well-being, physical, mental, and for many people, that's spiritual as well. So starting with that, you need to advocate for your child's well-being.
And yes, we realize we're in the midst of a pandemic and everyone's family makeup is different, right? So some of the conversations they could have, "Let's assess risks in our family." Like I have a child who's generally healthy, no comorbid or significant risk factors to developing severe disease. Mom and dad are generally healthy, also low-risk, maybe in-person learning is something you'd want to consider. If you decide that your child is best served by being in an in-person setting, even the school's taking all the necessary precautions and maybe something that would better serve your child, because I think it's been a very difficult year for a lot of our children.
It's interesting because, you know, throughout my day-to-day encounters, we used to see a lot of illness and disease and cold and usual viral syndromes this time of year. And those numbers have been certainly lower than they have been and before, but we're seeing a lot of mental illness, depression, anxiety, suicide. And so that's also something to consider. So we do have to find a good balance for our children. And again, realizing we need to take all the necessary measures to be safe and to stay safe. And that's very important.
Deborah Howell: Yeah. It makes me want to ask you what are some ways to help children, parents, and teachers stay safe as classes return?
Methuel Gordon: Well, again, just reiterating most of what the CDC has been saying over the past several months to a year. We talked about hand-washing. sanitizing as much as you can, physical distancing. And I know lot of people use the term social distancing. Personally, for me, I'm not a fan of that Durham. I think physical distancing is more appropriate because we do need to find ways to communicate, to stay in touch because that's very important for mental health. You know, we are very social beings. So as far as physical distance and guidelines and really following those as best as you can, I encourage parents to touch base with their schools.
If you're not comfortable with the level of precautions they're taking, maybe give input as to what you think what's missing, what they could be doing differently to help improve your level of comfort with your child going back to school.
Deborah Howell: I love the distinction. Physical distancing and not social distancing because of the mental health aspect. That's really key. Now, if a student is exposed to COVID-19, what do you recommend for the student and their family members?
Methuel Gordon: Again, this information is probably repeated like numerous times, but again, following CDC guidelines. First, you determine degree of contact or exposure, right? And then, so their current definition for that is if you're within six feet of someone who you found out later on had COVID for more than 15 consecutive minutes or accumulative 15 minutes during any one exposure or multiple exposures, that's first determining whether you are exposed or not and defining that's important.
And following the testing recommendations for CDC. Again, most after an exposure most of our children, they're generally asymptomatic when they come in. They come in with the chief complaint, "I've been exposed. What do I do next?" Usually, we wait at least five, six days after an exposure to perform COVID-19 test, which is important because you want to avoid getting like a false negative if you do the test too early and so sticking to that guideline.
If tests are positive or you need to quarantine, again that's per guidelines. For most it's anywhere between seven to 14 days depending on your state because that varies. But yeah, having a period of quarantine after an exposure so you can prevent or avoid passing or transmitting the disease to someone else unwittingly.
So certainly a lot of measures. I think most states and most areas certainly in our community, testing is to the point where it's very easy to get a test done. And most result's turnaround time is very reasonable within one to two days. And so, you know, most of our kids, they just get the test, it’s ruled out and they'd go back to school as soon as we get the negative result. And if there was an exposure, they're still required to remain isolated for longer period. So, certainly a lot of steps we can take to prevent spread.
Deborah Howell: We're running low on time, but I have a couple more questions for you. There's a lot of confusion around this. If you've had COVID and you've recovered, do you need to get vaccinated or should you?
Methuel Gordon: Currently, the guideline is yes. You should consider getting vaccinated. Obviously, everyone's going to have to make that decision on whether to do the vaccine or not. There's certainly a lot of fears about that. Thus far, the three main vaccines, at least the two, Pfizer and Moderna, most of the safety data has been out and it's found to be very safe and efficacy data is really significantly high, which is really good and fortunate.
And so yes, generally, if you believe you've been exposed, you've had the disease at some point, it's been more than say three, four months, if you’re in a higher risk group or if you have a family or household members who are in that group, then currently the guideline is still to consider doing the vaccine.
Deborah Howell: And do you have any final tips to help ease anxiety around this situation?
Methuel Gordon: Yeah. That's a more difficult question. I mean, as far as easing anxiety around your children, again I go back to the risk to your child from severe disease is extremely rare. Again, your child's mental health and future are also very important. And maybe you're able to fully meet your child's needs in a virtual setting. And if that's the case, then that's fine. But again, we really have to weigh pros and cons and when we decided to make that decision.
And one of the things I've picked up on, I often hear this term "We're at war with COVID. We're fighting this war against COVID-19 virus." And, personally for me, I'm not a big fan of that analogy, you know, because It felt like in war sometimes you have collateral damage. And I think we cannot in this "war" against COVID-19 allow our children to be collateral damage. not fair.
Deborah Howell: Not only are you a wonderful physician, you're a deep thinker. And Dr. Gordon, we appreciate your time and everything you do. Thank you so much for being with us today.
Methuel Gordon: Oh, sure. Thanks, Deborah.
Deborah Howell: For more information as well as more podcast episodes, learn more at PullmanRegional.org. This has been the Health Podcast from Pullman Regional. I'm your host, Deborah Howell. Thanks for listening and have yourself a terrific day.