As the flu season approaches during a pandemic, NPS follows strict protocols | News

It’s no longer a simple process of sending a sick student home and having them return when they recover. If a student or staff member presents with certain COVID-19 symptoms, the school’s readmission protocol must be followed.

“That was what we worked on throughout the summer,” said Gina Uhin, director of the Elkhorn Logan Valley Health Department (ELVPHD), in an email. “The health department has made multiple separate phone calls to schools, the Ministry of Education (Nebraska), the education services department. The health department has developed a state-wide protocol to ensure that everyone follows the same. It was not developed individually. “

The NPS has followed a protocol for symptomatic students and staff, said Eric Wilson, director of student services and safety.

If you have a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, and / or if you have one or more of the following symptoms, you should isolate the student or staff to return home: a new cough, a new shortness of breath, or a new one. Taste and smell according to the loss policy.

“It’s difficult because children with allergies are still coming to school and some of those symptoms are similar. So the question is whether they are allergic or COVID,” Wilson said. “We have worked with ELVPHD to get rid of them and support the process. We not only want our children to go to school, but we also keep our students and staff safe.”

The new policy is very important, especially for schools where the flu season is coming.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the symptoms of influenza and COVID-19 are about the same. And a person can be infected with COVID-19 and influenza at the same time.

ELVPHD is concerned about the potential for coinfection, as it is unclear how both illnesses affect individuals, Uhing said.

“We’re worried because we don’t know what this will be,” Uhing said. “We may be pleasantly surprised, and we may also find that all of the COVID precautions can delay or prevent the spread of seasonal flu. To be honest. It’s too early to say. “

According to Wilson, the NPS has returned home with COVID-19 symptoms to students since the beginning of the semester, with another diagnosis or negative test results.

The school re-enrollment policy does not apply to students at home with other symptoms such as stomach or sore throat. These students will revert to the district’s normal attendance policy, which uses a supply of 10 sick students during the semester.

If ELVPHD instructed students to stay home for COVID-related reasons, their absence is permissible, Wilson said. All sick students receive homework and get the help of a teacher as they would in a normal year.

“For years, our students got sick from school and our children had tonsils,” Wilson said. “Whatever the problem, teachers are accustomed to dealing with them, even though they obviously deal with a lot of people.”

Uhing said the best course of action towards the peak season of influenza during a pandemic is to be vaccinated against influenza as soon as possible to limit the possibility of co-infection.

“There may be an interval between the seasonal flu vaccine and the COVID vaccine. One will be available,” Uhing said. “That’s why we are currently encouraging seasonal influenza vaccines. When COVID vaccines become available, or when they become available, a minimum interval window will be executed and you will be able to receive it. I hope it will be. “

According to the CDC website, the CDC is increasing the availability of vaccines this year by purchasing an additional 2 million pediatric flu vaccines and 9.3 million adult flu vaccines.

The CDC has also developed a test distributed in August that simultaneously checks for both COVID-19 and various strains of influenza.

“I can’t say for sure what will happen in the fall and winter, but I believe the CDC is likely to spread both the flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19,” the CDC said in an online statement. It was. “Influenza vaccination is more important than ever.”