Anonymous wrote:My ES kids are anecdotally reporting lots of people out of school, and I really can't turn positive this week (specific work travel under preparation since last September). We are already a medium- to high-caution household, with everyone always masked (KF-94 or N-95) indoors, most shopping done online, etc.--but the kids are in school. Do I keep them home? We're already reducing other indoor activities from today, but it feels like so many people are getting sick right now (some probably covid, some probably not). Advice?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Woah. Given the vaccine was 12% effective this seems insane. Asymptomatic negative kids have to stay home for a full week of school??

Ok so to summarize:
MCPS got rid of the mask mandate
As of literally this week, they said based on cdc guidance and dept of health guidance, they no longer needed to contact trace
Cdc guidance still says unvaxxed individuals need to quarantine after close contact
But since mcps isn’t contact tracing, unvaxxed individuals in a class or activity or grade level now need to quarantine for 5 days if 3 or more students test positive

So even if a not-sick child, who can’t control whether his parents vaccinated him, showed up to school religiously wearing a kn95 mask, and tested negative (!!) he must miss up to a week of school because other children decided to go maskless in his class and infect each other? And the school dropped all the mitigations?

Just so everyone knows, our school got a letter too. It said students who are eligible for the booster but not boosted would have to quarantine too unless they had covid in the last 90 days. My kids are too young for the booster, but this is getting ridiculous considering there is no vaccine (or booster) mandate and no one was notified of this policy change in advance.

There better not be a vaccine or a booster mandate FOR KIDS or I will truly lose my shit. There is ZERO chance I want to get my 6 year old vaccinated at this point, when she already caught Covid at school in January. Not a chance.

I imagine once the vaccine is fully approved for kids that it will be mandated just like other vaccines are. So prepare to lose your sh-t or make other school arrangements.

Why would you think that? The vaccine is marginally effective. And it could be over a year before it gets fully FDA approved for kids age 5-12. By that time, the variants will be SO different that the current shot will provide even less protection.

It would be stupid for MCPS to mandate an outdated Covid vaccine for 6 year olds. Hopefully they are not dumb enough to do that, but I guess you never know.

Vaccines still reduce the chance of getting infected with the coronavirus, developing symptomatic covid, transmitting the virus, and dramatically reduce the chance of hospitalization or death.

Can you provide a link to an independent study that backs up your claim? A study that shows vaccinated kids age 5-11 are less likely to be infected with Covid? Or that vaccinated kids age 5-11 are less likely to transmit Covid versus unvaccinated kids.

I have seen no studies to back up that claim.

I mean, look at the data and the discussion that led to EUA approval. It’s all there.

Anonymous wrote:This is so strange. The change in protocol on OP’s
Class does not at all line up with MCPS central
Office policy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Woah. Given the vaccine was 12% effective this seems insane. Asymptomatic negative kids have to stay home for a full week of school??

Ok so to summarize:
MCPS got rid of the mask mandate
As of literally this week, they said based on cdc guidance and dept of health guidance, they no longer needed to contact trace
Cdc guidance still says unvaxxed individuals need to quarantine after close contact
But since mcps isn’t contact tracing, unvaxxed individuals in a class or activity or grade level now need to quarantine for 5 days if 3 or more students test positive

So even if a not-sick child, who can’t control whether his parents vaccinated him, showed up to school religiously wearing a kn95 mask, and tested negative (!!) he must miss up to a week of school because other children decided to go maskless in his class and infect each other? And the school dropped all the mitigations?

Just so everyone knows, our school got a letter too. It said students who are eligible for the booster but not boosted would have to quarantine too unless they had covid in the last 90 days. My kids are too young for the booster, but this is getting ridiculous considering there is no vaccine (or booster) mandate and no one was notified of this policy change in advance.

There better not be a vaccine or a booster mandate FOR KIDS or I will truly lose my shit. There is ZERO chance I want to get my 6 year old vaccinated at this point, when she already caught Covid at school in January. Not a chance.

I imagine once the vaccine is fully approved for kids that it will be mandated just like other vaccines are. So prepare to lose your sh-t or make other school arrangements.

Why would you think that? The vaccine is marginally effective. And it could be over a year before it gets fully FDA approved for kids age 5-12. By that time, the variants will be SO different that the current shot will provide even less protection.

It would be stupid for MCPS to mandate an outdated Covid vaccine for 6 year olds. Hopefully they are not dumb enough to do that, but I guess you never know.

Vaccines still reduce the chance of getting infected with the coronavirus, developing symptomatic covid, transmitting the virus, and dramatically reduce the chance of hospitalization or death.

Can you provide a link to an independent study that backs up your claim? A study that shows vaccinated kids age 5-11 are less likely to be infected with Covid? Or that vaccinated kids age 5-11 are less likely to transmit Covid versus unvaccinated kids.

I have seen no studies to back up that claim.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Woah. Given the vaccine was 12% effective this seems insane. Asymptomatic negative kids have to stay home for a full week of school??

Ok so to summarize:
MCPS got rid of the mask mandate
As of literally this week, they said based on cdc guidance and dept of health guidance, they no longer needed to contact trace
Cdc guidance still says unvaxxed individuals need to quarantine after close contact
But since mcps isn’t contact tracing, unvaxxed individuals in a class or activity or grade level now need to quarantine for 5 days if 3 or more students test positive

So even if a not-sick child, who can’t control whether his parents vaccinated him, showed up to school religiously wearing a kn95 mask, and tested negative (!!) he must miss up to a week of school because other children decided to go maskless in his class and infect each other? And the school dropped all the mitigations?

Just so everyone knows, our school got a letter too. It said students who are eligible for the booster but not boosted would have to quarantine too unless they had covid in the last 90 days. My kids are too young for the booster, but this is getting ridiculous considering there is no vaccine (or booster) mandate and no one was notified of this policy change in advance.

There better not be a vaccine or a booster mandate FOR KIDS or I will truly lose my shit. There is ZERO chance I want to get my 6 year old vaccinated at this point, when she already caught Covid at school in January. Not a chance.

I imagine once the vaccine is fully approved for kids that it will be mandated just like other vaccines are. So prepare to lose your sh-t or make other school arrangements.

Why would you think that? The vaccine is marginally effective. And it could be over a year before it gets fully FDA approved for kids age 5-12. By that time, the variants will be SO different that the current shot will provide even less protection.

It would be stupid for MCPS to mandate an outdated Covid vaccine for 6 year olds. Hopefully they are not dumb enough to do that, but I guess you never know.

Vaccines still reduce the chance of getting infected with the coronavirus, developing symptomatic covid, transmitting the virus, and dramatically reduce the chance of hospitalization or death.

In adults and teens. We don’t know if they reduce the already low chance of severe cases in young kids.

You nailed it: young kids are at a very low chance of severe cases even without a vaccine.

Therefore, mandating vaccines or boosters for kids 17 and under is highly unethical and unnecessary.

Yeah, well kids don't exist in a vacuum.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Woah. Given the vaccine was 12% effective this seems insane. Asymptomatic negative kids have to stay home for a full week of school??

Ok so to summarize:
MCPS got rid of the mask mandate
As of literally this week, they said based on cdc guidance and dept of health guidance, they no longer needed to contact trace
Cdc guidance still says unvaxxed individuals need to quarantine after close contact
But since mcps isn’t contact tracing, unvaxxed individuals in a class or activity or grade level now need to quarantine for 5 days if 3 or more students test positive

So even if a not-sick child, who can’t control whether his parents vaccinated him, showed up to school religiously wearing a kn95 mask, and tested negative (!!) he must miss up to a week of school because other children decided to go maskless in his class and infect each other? And the school dropped all the mitigations?

Just so everyone knows, our school got a letter too. It said students who are eligible for the booster but not boosted would have to quarantine too unless they had covid in the last 90 days. My kids are too young for the booster, but this is getting ridiculous considering there is no vaccine (or booster) mandate and no one was notified of this policy change in advance.

There better not be a vaccine or a booster mandate FOR KIDS or I will truly lose my shit. There is ZERO chance I want to get my 6 year old vaccinated at this point, when she already caught Covid at school in January. Not a chance.

I imagine once the vaccine is fully approved for kids that it will be mandated just like other vaccines are. So prepare to lose your sh-t or make other school arrangements.

Why would you think that? The vaccine is marginally effective. And it could be over a year before it gets fully FDA approved for kids age 5-12. By that time, the variants will be SO different that the current shot will provide even less protection.

It would be stupid for MCPS to mandate an outdated Covid vaccine for 6 year olds. Hopefully they are not dumb enough to do that, but I guess you never know.

Vaccines still reduce the chance of getting infected with the coronavirus, developing symptomatic covid, transmitting the virus, and dramatically reduce the chance of hospitalization or death.

In adults and teens. We don’t know if they reduce the already low chance of severe cases in young kids.

You nailed it: young kids are at a very low chance of severe cases even without a vaccine.

Therefore, mandating vaccines or boosters for kids 17 and under is highly unethical and unnecessary.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Woah. Given the vaccine was 12% effective this seems insane. Asymptomatic negative kids have to stay home for a full week of school??

Ok so to summarize:
MCPS got rid of the mask mandate
As of literally this week, they said based on cdc guidance and dept of health guidance, they no longer needed to contact trace
Cdc guidance still says unvaxxed individuals need to quarantine after close contact
But since mcps isn’t contact tracing, unvaxxed individuals in a class or activity or grade level now need to quarantine for 5 days if 3 or more students test positive

So even if a not-sick child, who can’t control whether his parents vaccinated him, showed up to school religiously wearing a kn95 mask, and tested negative (!!) he must miss up to a week of school because other children decided to go maskless in his class and infect each other? And the school dropped all the mitigations?

Just so everyone knows, our school got a letter too. It said students who are eligible for the booster but not boosted would have to quarantine too unless they had covid in the last 90 days. My kids are too young for the booster, but this is getting ridiculous considering there is no vaccine (or booster) mandate and no one was notified of this policy change in advance.

There better not be a vaccine or a booster mandate FOR KIDS or I will truly lose my shit. There is ZERO chance I want to get my 6 year old vaccinated at this point, when she already caught Covid at school in January. Not a chance.

I imagine once the vaccine is fully approved for kids that it will be mandated just like other vaccines are. So prepare to lose your sh-t or make other school arrangements.

Why would you think that? The vaccine is marginally effective. And it could be over a year before it gets fully FDA approved for kids age 5-12. By that time, the variants will be SO different that the current shot will provide even less protection.

It would be stupid for MCPS to mandate an outdated Covid vaccine for 6 year olds. Hopefully they are not dumb enough to do that, but I guess you never know.

Vaccines still reduce the chance of getting infected with the coronavirus, developing symptomatic covid, transmitting the virus, and dramatically reduce the chance of hospitalization or death.

In adults and teens. We don’t know if they reduce the already low chance of severe cases in young kids.

You nailed it: young kids are at a very low chance of severe cases even without a vaccine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Woah. Given the vaccine was 12% effective this seems insane. Asymptomatic negative kids have to stay home for a full week of school??

Ok so to summarize:
MCPS got rid of the mask mandate
As of literally this week, they said based on cdc guidance and dept of health guidance, they no longer needed to contact trace
Cdc guidance still says unvaxxed individuals need to quarantine after close contact
But since mcps isn’t contact tracing, unvaxxed individuals in a class or activity or grade level now need to quarantine for 5 days if 3 or more students test positive

So even if a not-sick child, who can’t control whether his parents vaccinated him, showed up to school religiously wearing a kn95 mask, and tested negative (!!) he must miss up to a week of school because other children decided to go maskless in his class and infect each other? And the school dropped all the mitigations?

Just so everyone knows, our school got a letter too. It said students who are eligible for the booster but not boosted would have to quarantine too unless they had covid in the last 90 days. My kids are too young for the booster, but this is getting ridiculous considering there is no vaccine (or booster) mandate and no one was notified of this policy change in advance.

There better not be a vaccine or a booster mandate FOR KIDS or I will truly lose my shit. There is ZERO chance I want to get my 6 year old vaccinated at this point, when she already caught Covid at school in January. Not a chance.

I imagine once the vaccine is fully approved for kids that it will be mandated just like other vaccines are. So prepare to lose your sh-t or make other school arrangements.

Why would you think that? The vaccine is marginally effective. And it could be over a year before it gets fully FDA approved for kids age 5-12. By that time, the variants will be SO different that the current shot will provide even less protection.

It would be stupid for MCPS to mandate an outdated Covid vaccine for 6 year olds. Hopefully they are not dumb enough to do that, but I guess you never know.

Vaccines still reduce the chance of getting infected with the coronavirus, developing symptomatic covid, transmitting the virus, and dramatically reduce the chance of hospitalization or death.

In adults and teens. We don’t know if they reduce the already low chance of severe cases in young kids.

Anonymous wrote:This is so strange. The change in protocol on OP’s
Class does not at all line up with MCPS central
Office policy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what are cautious folks doing now? I was willing to roll the dice and still send my kids to school (masked) when cases were low but now they're not and now all mitigation is gone (our ES discontinued outdoor lunch too although MS student can still eat outside). At what point do you keep kids home again? I really really don't want to jeopardize their long term health with the unknown effects. And I don't want to get sick either!

We are cautious so our kids are in virtual this year so we didn't have to deal with all this non-sense.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what are cautious folks doing now? I was willing to roll the dice and still send my kids to school (masked) when cases were low but now they're not and now all mitigation is gone (our ES discontinued outdoor lunch too although MS student can still eat outside). At what point do you keep kids home again? I really really don't want to jeopardize their long term health with the unknown effects. And I don't want to get sick either!

We are cautious so our kids are in virtual this year so we didn't have to deal with all this non-sense.

Anonymous wrote:This is so strange. The change in protocol on OP’s
Class does not at all line up with MCPS central
Office policy.

Anonymous wrote:So what are cautious folks doing now? I was willing to roll the dice and still send my kids to school (masked) when cases were low but now they're not and now all mitigation is gone (our ES discontinued outdoor lunch too although MS student can still eat outside). At what point do you keep kids home again? I really really don't want to jeopardize their long term health with the unknown effects. And I don't want to get sick either!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Woah. Given the vaccine was 12% effective this seems insane. Asymptomatic negative kids have to stay home for a full week of school??

Ok so to summarize:
MCPS got rid of the mask mandate
As of literally this week, they said based on cdc guidance and dept of health guidance, they no longer needed to contact trace
Cdc guidance still says unvaxxed individuals need to quarantine after close contact
But since mcps isn’t contact tracing, unvaxxed individuals in a class or activity or grade level now need to quarantine for 5 days if 3 or more students test positive

So even if a not-sick child, who can’t control whether his parents vaccinated him, showed up to school religiously wearing a kn95 mask, and tested negative (!!) he must miss up to a week of school because other children decided to go maskless in his class and infect each other? And the school dropped all the mitigations?

Just so everyone knows, our school got a letter too. It said students who are eligible for the booster but not boosted would have to quarantine too unless they had covid in the last 90 days. My kids are too young for the booster, but this is getting ridiculous considering there is no vaccine (or booster) mandate and no one was notified of this policy change in advance.

There better not be a vaccine or a booster mandate FOR KIDS or I will truly lose my shit. There is ZERO chance I want to get my 6 year old vaccinated at this point, when she already caught Covid at school in January. Not a chance.

I imagine once the vaccine is fully approved for kids that it will be mandated just like other vaccines are. So prepare to lose your sh-t or make other school arrangements.

Why would you think that? The vaccine is marginally effective. And it could be over a year before it gets fully FDA approved for kids age 5-12. By that time, the variants will be SO different that the current shot will provide even less protection.

It would be stupid for MCPS to mandate an outdated Covid vaccine for 6 year olds. Hopefully they are not dumb enough to do that, but I guess you never know.

Vaccines still reduce the chance of getting infected with the coronavirus, developing symptomatic covid, transmitting the virus, and dramatically reduce the chance of hospitalization or death.