School Attendance, Asthma Risk, and COVID-19 in Children

School Asthma Care During COVID-19: What We Have Learned and What We Are Learning

“…As previously described, the evidence to date supports that children with asthma can learn in-person at school because they do not appear to be at increased risk of COVID-19 morbidity or mortality. 37,42 Children in general are less commonly symptomatic with COVID-19 than adults, and those who are symptomatic rarely require hospitalization, although morbidity may vary based on variants. 1,43 Schools are not common vectors of COVID-19 transmission, and child-to-child transmission at schools has been rare, although this may change with variants of concern.…”

Çocuk Gelişim Kuramcılarına Göre COVID-19 Pandemisinde Okul Dönemindeki Astımlı Çocuğa Yaklaşım: Olgu Sunumu

“…4 Ancak astımlı ve okul dönemi çocuklarının ebeveynleri pandemi sırasında yüz yüze öğrenmenin, bulaş riski yaratabileceği endişesini duymaktadırlar. 1 Aşırı kalabalık veya küçük sınıflar, dar koridorlar ve kişisel hijyen uygulamalarındaki aksaklıklar okul ortamında yüksek düzeyde viral yayılmaya neden olabilir. 6 Hızlı bulaş yolu, günlük hasta ve ölüm oranları ailelerin endişelerini artırmaktadır.…”

“…Algılanan bulaş riskini azaltmak için açık, tutarlı ve sürekli iletişim gerekli olacaktır. 1 Yapılan çalışmalarda ailelerin yüz yüze öğrenmeye geri dönmekten endişe duydukları, 8 sanal öğrenmeyi tercih ettikleri, 9 ayrıca okul çağındaki astımlı çocukların çoğunun astım konusunda endişelendiği belirlenmiştir. 10 Pandemi sürecinde ülkeler, hastaları test ve tedavi ederek, temaslı kişilerin takibini yaparak, seyahatleri sınırlandırarak, vatandaşlarını karantinaya alarak ve spor etkinlikleri, konserler ve okullar gibi büyük toplantıları iptal ederek hastalığın yayılmasını yavaşlatmaya çalışmaktadır.…”

COVID-19 “infodemics” and asthmatic children: The return to school challenge

“…We read with great interest the Rostrum article by Abrams et al, 1 highlighting the relevance of clear and consistent recommendations about the relationships between asthma, allergies, school attendance, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in childhood. An adequate communication of the known evidence to children with asthma and their families will help on the decision-making process of a central question: should I allow my child with asthma to go back to in-person learning in the school or not?…”

“…Although the personal and community impact of returning to school is still a controversial issue, there is growing evidence that asthma and its treatment are not risk factors for increased morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 in children 2 and, as the authors highlight, may even have a protective role. 1 , 3 In spite of the recent progress, there are still open questions regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in schoolchildren: Bayham and Fenichel 4 found that school closures, in the absence of other child-care options, may reduce health care labor force, impacting COVID-19 mortality, while Brauner et al 5 found that closing schools and universities had a large effect on mitigating and suppressing outbreaks of COVID-19. Supporting this effect of school reopening is the recent resurgence of cases in the United Kingdom being concentrated among schoolchildren (2-16 years old) as well as adults in the 35 to 49 age group, possibly comprising their caregivers.…”