MCPS Officially announces schools opening as planned

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:MoCo Covid-10 Information Portal reports hospitals are at Low utilization as of 12/30. 72.9% of inpatient beds are occupied.

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/data/#dashboard-primary-indicators

This is not the time to close schools.

3/4 of beds full is very concerning.

That’s a relatively normal census. Hospitals operate at high capacity

Hospitals are absolutely short staffed. Doctors being called back from vacation. This is going to get bad. Damn!

Doctors are also getting sick on vacation and bringing back to the hospitals.

They are entitled to vacations. If they are going to get sick either way, they might as well go on vacation.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:So much hysteria. Schools need to stay open for students. At this point, the vaccines have primed our bodies to easily fight off Covid, and the illness is either similar to the flu or way less than that. Scientists are starting to realize that "long covid" is not a thing... or any more of a thing than "long flu." Most of the people that are dying are the unvaccinated. I guarantee that lots of hysterical people got a runny nose within the past several months, didn't think anything of it, and didn't realize that they had Covid.

Long Covid is definitely a thing. Please don’t post inaccurate information

Long covid is not anything to worry about. Unless you are also worried about getting struck by lightening.

Wow, you are clueless. What’s your take on post-polio syndrome?

DP. Long COVID is nearly always mild symptoms that resolve on their own, typically in a few months. The severity and frequency of these symptoms after a Covid infection are similar to after influenza infections (about 50% more common).

So I get that people don’t want those symptoms, but it isn’t like this is some sort of new risk.

Post-polio. Maybe you’re not familiar with it. It wasn’t well-characterized when polio epidemics were happening either. And yet it’s real, it’s common, and it disables people and contributes to early death for some of them.

Ok, but you reference Long COVID, which is an observed and documented phenomenon (albeit one that has been grossly misrepresented in the media), not some hypothetical syndrome that doesn't have any evidence to support its existence in significant numbers, despite coronaviruses being common.

I suspect that “Long COVID” will turn out to be multiple clinical entities that become better-defined with time. I don’t see what coronaviruses generally being common has to do with this. With a couple of exceptions, they weren’t severe enough to kill ppl before now either.

Related viruses speak to the likelihood that this new virus will have a fairly rare property. SARS patients continued to get better over time, including those who had long-COVID-like symptoms. They didn't get better, and then later get worse. There's no reason to think your hypothetical syndrome will exist.

We’ll see. But we can’t see now. That’s how the passage of time works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much hysteria. Schools need to stay open for students. At this point, the vaccines have primed our bodies to easily fight off Covid, and the illness is either similar to the flu or way less than that. Scientists are starting to realize that "long covid" is not a thing... or any more of a thing than "long flu." Most of the people that are dying are the unvaccinated. I guarantee that lots of hysterical people got a runny nose within the past several months, didn't think anything of it, and didn't realize that they had Covid.

Long Covid is definitely a thing. Please don’t post inaccurate information

Long covid is not anything to worry about. Unless you are also worried about getting struck by lightening.

Wow, you are clueless. What’s your take on post-polio syndrome?

DP. Long COVID is nearly always mild symptoms that resolve on their own, typically in a few months. The severity and frequency of these symptoms after a Covid infection are similar to after influenza infections (about 50% more common).

So I get that people don’t want those symptoms, but it isn’t like this is some sort of new risk.

Post-polio. Maybe you’re not familiar with it. It wasn’t well-characterized when polio epidemics were happening either. And yet it’s real, it’s common, and it disables people and contributes to early death for some of them.

Ok, but you reference Long COVID, which is an observed and documented phenomenon (albeit one that has been grossly misrepresented in the media), not some hypothetical syndrome that doesn't have any evidence to support its existence in significant numbers, despite coronaviruses being common.

I suspect that “Long COVID” will turn out to be multiple clinical entities that become better-defined with time. I don’t see what coronaviruses generally being common has to do with this. With a couple of exceptions, they weren’t severe enough to kill ppl before now either.

Related viruses speak to the likelihood that this new virus will have a fairly rare property. SARS patients continued to get better over time, including those who had long-COVID-like symptoms. They didn't get better, and then later get worse. There's no reason to think your hypothetical syndrome will exist.

We’ll see. But we can’t see now. That’s how the passage of time works.

I guess we will. In the meantime, it is ridiculous to make decisions based on wild suppositions that lack evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much hysteria. Schools need to stay open for students. At this point, the vaccines have primed our bodies to easily fight off Covid, and the illness is either similar to the flu or way less than that. Scientists are starting to realize that "long covid" is not a thing... or any more of a thing than "long flu." Most of the people that are dying are the unvaccinated. I guarantee that lots of hysterical people got a runny nose within the past several months, didn't think anything of it, and didn't realize that they had Covid.

Long Covid is definitely a thing. Please don’t post inaccurate information

Long covid is not anything to worry about. Unless you are also worried about getting struck by lightening.

Wow, you are clueless. What’s your take on post-polio syndrome?

DP. Long COVID is nearly always mild symptoms that resolve on their own, typically in a few months. The severity and frequency of these symptoms after a Covid infection are similar to after influenza infections (about 50% more common).

So I get that people don’t want those symptoms, but it isn’t like this is some sort of new risk.

Post-polio. Maybe you’re not familiar with it. It wasn’t well-characterized when polio epidemics were happening either. And yet it’s real, it’s common, and it disables people and contributes to early death for some of them.

Ok, but you reference Long COVID, which is an observed and documented phenomenon (albeit one that has been grossly misrepresented in the media), not some hypothetical syndrome that doesn't have any evidence to support its existence in significant numbers, despite coronaviruses being common.

I suspect that “Long COVID” will turn out to be multiple clinical entities that become better-defined with time. I don’t see what coronaviruses generally being common has to do with this. With a couple of exceptions, they weren’t severe enough to kill ppl before now either.

Related viruses speak to the likelihood that this new virus will have a fairly rare property. SARS patients continued to get better over time, including those who had long-COVID-like symptoms. They didn't get better, and then later get worse. There's no reason to think your hypothetical syndrome will exist.

We’ll see. But we can’t see now. That’s how the passage of time works.

I guess we will. In the meantime, it is ridiculous to make decisions based on wild suppositions that lack evidence.

Correct. Follow your own advice. Oh the irony.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm ready to let this play out. Yes, it's going to be a messy month or two, but we have to figure out what the new normal is going to look like. I, for one, am not interested in schools being remote at any point. Kids who are sick should be in bed. Kids who are well enough to attend school should come to school Everyone who is at any kind of risk has had plenty of time to be vaccinated. Now, if hospitals really are close to breaking, then we have to pull back, but unless someone can post reliable information about hospitals being overwhelmed in MoCo, I'm not in favor of closing schools. Given the state has not released county-specific hospitalization metrics since early December, that data is not available. I'd think the hospitals would be screaming if we were in trouble. Are they?

Well enough means sending sick kids to school. Kids don't live alone. If they bring it back to younger unvaccinated siblings or other family members, it could have serious consequences.

If you want kids in person, what sacrifices are you willing to make to keep them there? Sounds like none.

I’m not sure what your point is- unvaccinated younger siblings would likely be fine. Anyone who has extremely vulnerable family members at home yet didn’t apply for the VA may need to make some hard choices during this wave. The solution should not be to demand all kids go virtual for a small number of families in this situation.

Look, great covid denier, you cannot tell someone they will be fine getting covid when you don't know.

VA is 100% at capacity. It is run like a regular school and just cannot take every family who now wants in due to their lack of planning as they don't have the staff to do it. They'd have to get more funding/staff or pull teachers from other schools.

Schools aren't going virtual except if there is an outbreak. So, the issue is how do you stop outbreaks? And, if you don't know, then google is your friend.

We don’t need to stop outbreaks, though. That’s the whole point. Kids are low risk. Vaccinated/boosted teachers are low risk.

The morality rate from Covid is dropping. If you were fine with with in-person in the fall, you should still be fine with it now. If for some strange reason you’re not, homeschooling is always an option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm ready to let this play out. Yes, it's going to be a messy month or two, but we have to figure out what the new normal is going to look like. I, for one, am not interested in schools being remote at any point. Kids who are sick should be in bed. Kids who are well enough to attend school should come to school Everyone who is at any kind of risk has had plenty of time to be vaccinated. Now, if hospitals really are close to breaking, then we have to pull back, but unless someone can post reliable information about hospitals being overwhelmed in MoCo, I'm not in favor of closing schools. Given the state has not released county-specific hospitalization metrics since early December, that data is not available. I'd think the hospitals would be screaming if we were in trouble. Are they?

Well enough means sending sick kids to school. Kids don't live alone. If they bring it back to younger unvaccinated siblings or other family members, it could have serious consequences.

If you want kids in person, what sacrifices are you willing to make to keep them there? Sounds like none.

I’m not sure what your point is- unvaccinated younger siblings would likely be fine. Anyone who has extremely vulnerable family members at home yet didn’t apply for the VA may need to make some hard choices during this wave. The solution should not be to demand all kids go virtual for a small number of families in this situation.

Look, great covid denier, you cannot tell someone they will be fine getting covid when you don't know.

VA is 100% at capacity. It is run like a regular school and just cannot take every family who now wants in due to their lack of planning as they don't have the staff to do it. They'd have to get more funding/staff or pull teachers from other schools.

Schools aren't going virtual except if there is an outbreak. So, the issue is how do you stop outbreaks? And, if you don't know, then google is your friend.

We don’t need to stop outbreaks, though. That’s the whole point. Kids are low risk. Vaccinated/boosted teachers are low risk.

The morality rate from Covid is dropping. If you were fine with with in-person in the fall, you should still be fine with it now. If for some strange reason you’re not, homeschooling is always an option.

Are you really living in an alternative universe? Kids live with their families. Families live in communities. We absolutely need to stop outbreaks as selfish and entitled people like you cannot self regulate so we need the government to do it. Its not just about mortality. Kids also live with younger siblings who cannot be vaccinated.

If grocery store workers get sick, how will you get groceries? If medical professionals get sick, who will take care of you when you get sick? When your housekeeper gets sick, who will clean your house?

Is it really that bad in your home that no one wants to spend any time there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm ready to let this play out. Yes, it's going to be a messy month or two, but we have to figure out what the new normal is going to look like. I, for one, am not interested in schools being remote at any point. Kids who are sick should be in bed. Kids who are well enough to attend school should come to school Everyone who is at any kind of risk has had plenty of time to be vaccinated. Now, if hospitals really are close to breaking, then we have to pull back, but unless someone can post reliable information about hospitals being overwhelmed in MoCo, I'm not in favor of closing schools. Given the state has not released county-specific hospitalization metrics since early December, that data is not available. I'd think the hospitals would be screaming if we were in trouble. Are they?

Well enough means sending sick kids to school. Kids don't live alone. If they bring it back to younger unvaccinated siblings or other family members, it could have serious consequences.

If you want kids in person, what sacrifices are you willing to make to keep them there? Sounds like none.

I’m not sure what your point is- unvaccinated younger siblings would likely be fine. Anyone who has extremely vulnerable family members at home yet didn’t apply for the VA may need to make some hard choices during this wave. The solution should not be to demand all kids go virtual for a small number of families in this situation.

Look, great covid denier, you cannot tell someone they will be fine getting covid when you don't know.

VA is 100% at capacity. It is run like a regular school and just cannot take every family who now wants in due to their lack of planning as they don't have the staff to do it. They'd have to get more funding/staff or pull teachers from other schools.

Schools aren't going virtual except if there is an outbreak. So, the issue is how do you stop outbreaks? And, if you don't know, then google is your friend.

We don’t need to stop outbreaks, though. That’s the whole point. Kids are low risk. Vaccinated/boosted teachers are low risk.

The morality rate from Covid is dropping. If you were fine with with in-person in the fall, you should still be fine with it now. If for some strange reason you’re not, homeschooling is always an option.

Are you really living in an alternative universe? Kids live with their families. Families live in communities. We absolutely need to stop outbreaks as selfish and entitled people like you cannot self regulate so we need the government to do it. Its not just about mortality. Kids also live with younger siblings who cannot be vaccinated.

If grocery store workers get sick, how will you get groceries? If medical professionals get sick, who will take care of you when you get sick? When your housekeeper gets sick, who will clean your house?

Is it really that bad in your home that no one wants to spend any time there?

How will you get health care and groceries if everyone is at home supervising virtual school instead of working?

When it comes to keeping society functioning, quarantines, isolation, and virtual school do a lot more harm than Covid infections.

[Anonymous]

They just sent out an email listing all the positives since winter break. They are opening as normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They just sent out an email listing all the positives since winter break. They are opening as normal.

Inclement Weather
The weather for Jan. 3 forecasts rain turning to a mix of ice and snow by early Monday. We will monitor the weather and conditions of roads and sidewalks throughout the night and make a determination about delay or closure as necessary. Those notifications are typically communicated by 5 a.m.

Reporting Positive Cases
If any student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, please report it to MCPS using this form. This is the same process used during winter break to collect information on students or staff members who tested positive. Beginning Monday, Jan. 3, you may also call your school if you are not able to submit the information electronically.

Data Reporting
Through 10 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 1, there have been 3,686 positive cases reported among students and staff in MCPS during winter break. The number of cases in the school system over the last several weeks has increased significantly in line with trends across Maryland and the United States. As shared in our Dec. 30 community update, we are taking a number of measures to keep students and staff safe.

You can view the number of positive cases over winter break at each school at this link. Schools will not send community letters regarding cases reported during winter break. Beginning Monday, Jan. 3, a list of the number of positive cases reported at each school site that day will be reported at the top of the COVID-19 Dashboard website by 7 p.m. each school day. The dashboard will continue to report data on total positive cases and quarantines on a weekly basis.

[Anonymous]

No spectators for indoor sports through 1/16

[Anonymous]

The numbers are only reflecting positive cases - not symptomatic cases or people who aren't reporting. It's going to be a show this week.

[Anonymous]

Why is MCPS tracking student cases over winter break? Will these be used to determine if/when the 5 percent threshold is hit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why is MCPS tracking student cases over winter break? Will these be used to determine if/when the 5 percent threshold is hit?

Wouldn’t it be useful information to know if unvaccinated siblings need to quarantine? If a student is out because of Covid, they are entitled to some type of virtual learning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why is MCPS tracking student cases over winter break? Will these be used to determine if/when the 5 percent threshold is hit?

It sounds like its up to the individual schools to determine the threshold.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why is MCPS tracking student cases over winter break? Will these be used to determine if/when the 5 percent threshold is hit?

Yes, that is implied by this sentence:

"Currently, no school has reached the 5% threshold, so all schools are scheduled to open as planned tomorrow, Monday, Jan. 3."

Implication is that if a school had reached 5% before tomorrow, it would not be opening.

I said this in multiple other threads, but the logic is using that 5% as a proxy for community spread, not exclusively looking at spread in schools. Otherwise, according to the logic that the 5% only counts if a case was contracted in school (not possible to prove with certainty anyway) you would have to send kids to school even with 50% prevalence in the community because it technically "hasn't spread in schools yet." I'm relieved that was not their logic, at least.