opinion | School reopening during Covid: What parents, teachers should keep in mind
Schools in several states across India reopened after a gap of almost 17 months, with most students happy to return to their alma maters and visit their friends. However, due to fear about Kovid-19 in the minds of most parents, attendance remained low. While social distancing, alternate seating arrangements, wearing of masks, lunch breaks and thermal screening were faithfully followed by the school management, parents remained skeptical about whether these measures would prevent their children from getting infected with the coronavirus. Will stop
Parents have questions about a possible third wave of the pandemic. A report by ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) says that the third wave may reach its peak in India in October. Many parents are questioning the advice on reopening schools when the third wave hits after a month. Another research study by IIT, Kanpur states that there is no possibility of a third wave coming soon.
Parents are now confused about which reports to trust, with a large number of school children from the US being reported to be infected with the Covid-19 virus as the pandemic continues to spread across large parts of that country. There is also uncertainty about a COVID vaccine for children, which is yet to come. Parents are confused about whether to send their children only after getting two doses of the vaccine.
The state governments have left the responsibility of taking care of the students to the schools, while the school management has left the decision to send the children to the parents. Families across India are currently confused about whether to continue with online classes, and wait and see till the situation normalises.
On September 1, schools in Delhi, UP, Haryana MP, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu reopened under strict SOP guidelines, but attendance was low. Most of the parents decided not to send their children to school. On their part, the children were happy to return to their learning temples and visit old friends after a year and a half.
I have met several parents who told me that their children’s social behavior has changed drastically during the past 17 months. With playgrounds and parks closed, most children were showing fatigue after being locked inside their homes with their cell phones and computers. Young children are spending too much screen time on cell phones and laptops, which is adversely affecting their mental health. Some children now require speech therapy because they cannot speak properly. Today’s teenagers get angry very easily and have become rude and irritable due to lack of exposure to the outside world.
On Wednesday night in my prime time show ‘Aaj Ki Baat’, I interviewed Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS and asked him about the possibility of a third wave of the pandemic. That said, the possibility of a third wave still remains as most people in India still have to take vaccines to make antibodies for protection. “If there is a third wave, the cases may increase, but the hospitalization and death toll may be less as compared to the second wave,” he said.
Dr Guleria said, according to the serosurvey conducted so far, most people have taken a single dose of the vaccine, and if the third wave comes, there will not be too many cases of severe disease. He explained that COVID vaccines generally provide protection against serious diseases, hospitalizations and deaths. The ICMR modeling data showed the extent of a strong third wave from October to January, while other modeling data had other conclusions, “that we do not know”, based on several variables, he said.
The AIIMS director told me that it all depends on the behavior of the virus. “If it turns into other forms and spreads, there will definitely be an increase in the number of cases. It also largely depends on the behavior of the people. If people in India follow the proper handling of COVID during the coming festive season, the third wave may either not come at all or if it does, it will not be fatal.”
To my question whether a possible third wave could affect children more, Dr Guleria said, “This theory about third wave targeting children was created because no child has been vaccinated so far. If we look at the second wave data in India and Europe and the UK, we will find that very few children were affected by this virus and there were very few cases of serious diseases.
Dr Guleria Sahayata, “Healthy children who had Covid suffered mild infections, overall. Apart from this, ICMR serosurve data shows that 55 to 60 percent of children had already developed strong antibodies against the virus. This means that more than half of the children already had a mild COVID infection and had already developed antibodies. Therefore, we can say that the children, on the whole, have acquired immunity. So even if there is a third wave, children may not get infected with serious diseases and may have to face mild infections. “
To my question whether parents should send their children to schools now or not, the AIIMS director said, “They can send them to schools in states where the positivity rate is low, like in Delhi. Nevertheless, students should follow appropriate COVID practices in schools, and teachers and all school staff should get themselves vaccinated. “
Dr Guleria said, “Schools should start with 50 per cent attendance, or with staggered timings, and they should provide hand sanitisers and other COVID precautions for students. Schools can operate in areas where the positivity rate is high. There should be constant monitoring and monitoring, and if it is found that the positivity rate is increasing, then we may have to close the schools. Opening the schools does not mean that we are opening them permanently, There is a risk-benefit analysis behind this. We should allow schools to open only in areas with low positivity rates, and that too, under close monitoring and following good COVID appropriate behaviour.”
When I pointed out that the pandemic has re-emerged in the US, 2 lakh cases have been reported daily during the last 15 days, and children are getting infected at large, the AIIMS director replied: “It is true that the delta version cases are increasing. in America now. There were also some states in the US where people stopped wearing masks and attending parties, where the proper behavior of Kovid was not being followed. We should learn from these countries and refrain from committing the mistakes made there.”
On immunization of children, Dr Guleria said, “If we keep waiting for all children to be vaccinated, we may have to reopen schools next year itself. Even at that time, if a new variant comes out, then questions will arise about giving booster doses to children. We cannot reopen schools for long if we keep waiting for vaccines and new forms. “
He said, “ZyCov-D vaccine has already been approved for children 12 years and above. Similarly, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin trial on adolescents has already been completed and analysis is underway. One Once these vaccines are introduced, children above the age of 12 years can be vaccinated. Even the Pfizer vaccine from the US can be given to children in India. Hence, at this time many states in India Reopening schools in the U.S. has lower risks, and greater benefits. We can’t wait for schools to reopen intermittently.”
Parents of school going children in India should read carefully what Dr Guleria said in his interview. One, schools should be reopened only in areas where the positivity rate is very low, two, all schools should strictly follow the COVID appropriate treatment, and third, the risk is low and the benefits are high, if schools are less Positive areas are reopened, of course, under supervision.
Dr Guleria is right when he says we cannot wait intermittently for schools to reopen. Vaccines are already being developed for adolescents, and schools can now function by following strict COVID appropriate behavior and close supervision. It is necessary to send children to schools for their personality development, but parents should keep a close watch. Children in schools should wear masks, avoid crowds and wash their hands frequently, while teachers and school staff should get themselves vaccinated.
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