CDC: Parents, caregivers should do daily health checks before school during coronavirus pandemic

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued new guidance for families as students return to learning.

With some schools starting in-person learning instead of virtual classrooms, the CDC now says that while schools don’t screen students daily, the agency suggested that parents and caregivers should monitor their children for signs of the coronavirus illness daily. If they are sick, students should stay home.

They also say that children may not show any symptoms but yet still have the coronavirus.

The reason that the CDC says it should be on families rather than schools to monitor for COVID-19 symptoms is that some screenings may miss those who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. The screenings may also find that someone is sick but not necessarily with coronavirus.

The symptoms of coronavirus may include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

Experts warn that many of the symptoms of COVID-19 are also symptoms of other illnesses like the common cold and even seasonal allergies.

The CDC also warns that although children dying from coronavirus is rare, it could happen, as could a related condition called multisystem inflammatory syndrome or MIS-C.

As of Aug. 8, the CDC received 570 confirmed cases of MIS-C and 10 deaths. There are suspected cases under investigation.

Cox Media Group