Back to School during the pandemic ...a discussion thread

[pigletto]

While it was a bit of a circus to actually get a test, I did have it yesterday and had results in less than 24 hours. So I am Covid free.

In some weird way I was hoping that it was Covid and now I wouldn’t have to worry about it .. but alas it was just the regular plague.
In all seriousness I was more sick than I have been in years, and I’m pretty sure it was/ is influenza. It hit me like a train. But I’m on the mend and really just have a headache /fatigue left so that’s much better.
Not looking forward to the isolating / testing protocol reoccurring several times this winter but it seems inevitable for most of us.

 

[scrappinginontario]

While it was a bit of a circus to actually get a test, I did have it yesterday and had results in less than 24 hours. So I am Covid free.

In some weird way I was hoping that it was Covid and now I wouldn’t have to worry about it .. but alas it was just the regular plague.
In all seriousness I was more sick than I have been in years, and I’m pretty sure it was/ is influenza. It hit me like a train. But I’m on the mend and really just have a headache /fatigue left so that’s much better.
Not looking forward to the isolating / testing protocol reoccurring several times this winter but it seems inevitable for most of us.

Thankful it wasn't Covid but sorry you're still sick. Glad to hear you're on the mend!

How wonderful that you got your test results back so quickly! A friend had her twin 7yos tested last Wednesday. Once came back negative on Sun but the other result is still not there (caught in the 55,000+ backup I'm sure) so her boys are home from school for the 7th day. So thankful to have a job where we are still working from home as this could very easily be my daughter at another time.

 

[pigletto]

Thankful it wasn't Covid but sorry you're still sick. Glad to hear you're on the mend!

How wonderful that you got your test results back so quickly! A friend had her twin 7yos tested last Wednesday. Once came back negative on Sun but the other result is still not there (caught in the 55,000+ backup I'm sure) so her boys are home from school for the 7th day. So thankful to have a job where we are still working from home as this could very easily be my daughter at another time.

I wonder if labs are more overwhelmed in some areas. It took me four days to get a call back , but once I did everything happened very quickly. My sister in law took my nephew for his test in the Guelph area. They got their appointment right away but then waited six days for results.
That must be frustrating for your friend, especially since it’s so likely that the other twin is negative as well.

 

[wdwmom3]

I wonder if labs are more overwhelmed in some areas. It took me four days to get a call back , but once I did everything happened very quickly. My sister in law took my nephew for his test in the Guelph area. They got their appointment right away but then waited six days for results.
That must be frustrating for your friend, especially since it’s so likely that the other twin is negative as well.

I think it does depend where you are tested. If probably has to do with where the samples are processed and where there is a backlog. I think some hospitals are processing some tests in their own labs. So a backlog in other places wouldn’t affect that.

Oh and update. DSs cough went away and since he had no other symptoms we decided not to get him tested. It was a good 24 hours after he stopped before he went back to school. I’m kind of glad it happened on the weekend.

 

[bankr63]

I'm not impressed with this "covid-19 cases in schools and child care centres" website (https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-cases-schools-and-child-care-centres) the Ontario government is running. It's suppose to be updated week days at 10:30 AM.

But for my school board, only one school is listed as having Covid cases for the past week. Yet, last week the school board's website showed 2. Today I discovered the school that I cross at (I'm a crossing guard) discovered they had a case on the 3rd. It's on the school board's website. It was on Durham News today. Yet that government website still only shows the same one school.

I don't think I would blame the website. It reflects what the school boards have reported to the Ministry of Education. The boards are required to report to the ministry, but it is possible that it is an oversight. I see 9 schools from 2 Durham boards on the list today, so they are reporting, I would guess just an oversight. If it is the Catholic Board, you can see from the raw data in the background (downloadable from the site) that they have been reporting All Saints for several days (starting 09/24), but that Notre Dame was reported Monday for the first time. No other records are present in the data feed.

 

[FigmentSpark]

While it was a bit of a circus to actually get a test, I did have it yesterday and had results in less than 24 hours. So I am Covid free.

In some weird way I was hoping that it was Covid and now I wouldn’t have to worry about it .. but alas it was just the regular plague.
In all seriousness I was more sick than I have been in years, and I’m pretty sure it was/ is influenza. It hit me like a train. But I’m on the mend and really just have a headache /fatigue left so that’s much better.
Not looking forward to the isolating / testing protocol reoccurring several times this winter but it seems inevitable for most of us.

Good reminder for everyone. Flu shots are now out. Our doctor is making appointments, but I think you can just walk up at Shopper's.

 

[Best_Vacation_EVER!]

So was interesting... we rec'd DS's High School EIP this weekend (he's in grade 9) and they had all the teachers listed for whole upcoming year (based on semester) -- all good and and feel pretty okay with how they've spaced the courses out for him for the year. He has EIP just to cover his need to occasionally move due to ADHD -- no other accomodations. Since each year he's developed more skills for dealing with his ADHD I can see him not needing one as he matures but it was interesting to see the info......

 

[Disney Addicted]

I'm not impressed with this "covid-19 cases in schools and child care centres" website (https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-cases-schools-and-child-care-centres) the Ontario government is running. It's suppose to be updated week days at 10:30 AM.

But for my school board, only one school is listed as having Covid cases for the past week. Yet, last week the school board's website showed 2. Today I discovered the school that I cross at (I'm a crossing guard) discovered they had a case on the 3rd. It's on the school board's website. It was on Durham News today. Yet that government website still only shows the same one school.

If anyone's curious, I checked the website a few minutes ago and it was updated today to show the school on the list.

 

[bankr63]

Well my prognostications did not come true. Thanksgiving and schools are still open, so they are doing better at managing than I expected.

That said, the rise in school cases is as alarming as the overall rise. School cases seem to be tracking along at about 8% of the provincial daily count, so it is still not a great picture. On the plus side, I don't think they have identified much transmission IN the schools, seems to be community spread.

DW's school has yet to report any cases, but one family sent their kid to school for a couple of days while a sibling was waiting for results. The test came back positive, so now waiting for results for the kid who was in class. We'll be isolating this long weekend as we wait to hear.

 

[Madame]

Well my prognostications did not come true. Thanksgiving and schools are still open, so they are doing better at managing than I expected.

That said, the rise in school cases is as alarming as the overall rise. School cases seem to be tracking along at about 8% of the provincial daily count, so it is still not a great picture. On the plus side, I don't think they have identified much transmission IN the schools, seems to be community spread.

DW's school has yet to report any cases, but one family sent their kid to school for a couple of days while a sibling was waiting for results. The test came back positive, so now waiting for results for the kid who was in class. We'll be isolating this long weekend as we wait to hear.

They’re lying. Teachers on Twitter verifying that their Covid was recorded as community spread despite students in their room having Covid.

 

[Disney Addicted]

Stage 2 lite shutdown for Toronto, Peel and Ottawa for the next 28 days starting tomorrow. No indoor dining at restaurants & bars. Gyms, theatres and casinos to shut down.

I wonder how long it will take before the rest of Ontario enters this stage. I imagine a lot of people on those areas will start going into the cities around them. We kept having a lot of people from Toronto coming up here the first time.

 

[MoreTravels]

There are lots of good restaurants north of Steeles... along Highway 7. This plan won't work... it just forces all the diners into 905/289 areas.

They are making tests more difficult to obtain. They are reducing the screening symptoms. They are shortening quarantine time from 14 to 10 days.

I am not sure if the new future statistics carry the same significance as the previous ones any more. It's like math, once you change the variables of an equation in a math problem, the results will not be the same any more. However, the good news is... the mortality rate seems to be lower than before among the diagnosed. It is perhaps related to newer discoveries how to manage this infection and/or virus getting weaker after a few rounds of mutation.

 

[Disney Addicted]

However, the good news is... the mortality rate seems to be lower than before among the diagnosed. It is perhaps related to newer discoveries how to manage this infection and/or virus getting weaker after a few rounds of mutation.

I've been wondering about that. Canada went as high as 8.33% in late June. Then it started declining. Little by little, every day and today is down to 5.38%. Ontario's rate went up a little in the beginning of October but is most likely because of the unreported deaths from spring & summer that were suddenly added in. Now it's down to 5.20% from 8.33% in the middle of May.

The number of deaths in the past two weeks have gone up but the mortality rate is still creeping down. I find that funny. But then again, the news is saying it's more younger people getting Covid-19 now so I guess the survival rate is higher among them.

 

[Donald - my hero]

However, the good news is... the mortality rate seems to be lower than before among the diagnosed.

The number of deaths in the past two weeks have gone up but the mortality rate is still creeping down. I find that funny. But then again, the news is saying it's more younger people getting Covid-19 now so I guess the survival rate is higher among them.

The mortality rate in both Ontario and Quebec at the outset was due to the number of deaths in LTC facilities and the elderly in the community. We're no longer seeing the higher number of deaths but what isn't be captured (because there's really no way to do it!) is the number of "long-haulers". People who contract COVID-19, test positive and then eventually test negative show up in the "recovered" columns. However, that doesn't address the fact that MANY of these people will suffer lifelong complications from COVID ranging from reduced lung capacity, exhaustion, "brain fog", circulation issues (ever hear of the symptoms COVID toes/fingers? I know someone in the states who needed to have 2 toes amputated similar to what is seen in diabetics) and needing to consider themselves as "immune compromised" for life. Not everyone who "survives" COVID will end up with lifelong symptoms but those who do are falling between the cracks, no longer considered ill enough to stay home, no longer needing to quarantine, no longer "positive" but unable to work, perform household tasks or even basic day-to-day personal care. It's not a disease to be relegated to either dead or recovered, we need to remember that it's a new beast, and we aren't fully aware of everything that a positive test implicates.

Sorry for the rant, and for taking this thread waaaay off topic

 

[wdwmom3]

They’re lying. Teachers on Twitter verifying that their Covid was recorded as community spread despite students in their room having Covid.

People won’t admit if they haven’t been careful outside of school and caught it somewhere else. Very easy to say it’s from their class. Not sure where you are but in Ontario all cases in schools are recorded and if there is a link between 2 or more cases in a school they declare an outbreak. So if a teacher was positive and a student in their class was positive an outbreak would be declared.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Our school has been doing an AMAZING job! Not saying we can't get it but saying they're handling it really well and the kids are happy and have quickly adapted to the new routines. Back to school was the perfect choice for us and so glad that's what we went with.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I don't believe with this disease anyone can truly know where a person caught it. One of the reasons the Covid App is so important for those who are willing to, to download.

Unless someone in your household tests positive before you do, it could have been caught anywhere. Unlike the spring when everything was shut down and we stayed in our homes for weeks on end, the majority of people are still going out for groceries, to the pharmacy and other optional places. Yesterday alone I was at a grocery store, a coffee shop to pick up a muffin, a restaurant to pick up dinner to take home, Costco and a local apple orchard. I wore a mask everywhere and sanitized my hands every time before getting into the car or touching my mask. Any of those places could lead to contact with the disease on top of my daughter being in school so the contact that comes from that.

Many people are living life as best they can. Cautiously and for us without close contact with anyone living outside our home, but we still come in socially distanced contact with many, many people each day.

 

[Debbie]

The mortality rate in both Ontario and Quebec at the outset was due to the number of deaths in LTC facilities and the elderly in the community. We're no longer seeing the higher number of deaths but what isn't be captured (because there's really no way to do it!) is the number of "long-haulers". People who contract COVID-19, test positive and then eventually test negative show up in the "recovered" columns. However, that doesn't address the fact that MANY of these people will suffer lifelong complications from COVID ranging from reduced lung capacity, exhaustion, "brain fog", circulation issues (ever hear of the symptoms COVID toes/fingers? I know someone in the states who needed to have 2 toes amputated similar to what is seen in diabetics) and needing to consider themselves as "immune compromised" for life. Not everyone who "survives" COVID will end up with lifelong symptoms but those who do are falling between the cracks, no longer considered ill enough to stay home, no longer needing to quarantine, no longer "positive" but unable to work, perform household tasks or even basic day-to-day personal care. It's not a disease to be relegated to either dead or recovered, we need to remember that it's a new beast, and we aren't fully aware of everything that a positive test implicates.

Sorry for the rant, and for taking this thread waaaay off topic

I don't consider this a rant. This is my point with all those that declare COVID has a low mortality rate, and testing=more positive cases. The lingering effects are something that need to be talked about and understood. And, as the disease is so new, we don't have all the information on it yet. Part of the problem is that a majority of people today don't remember things like the results of outbreaks of diseases like polio in the 40's/50's. Those who didn't die were scarred for life. Or, measles, which ended up causing heart problems. Until we have a viable and effective vaccine, the best recourse, in my opinion, is to do our best not to get COVID. (so....limit contact, wear your mask , distance yourself, wash, wash and wash like the kidlets in the schools) there! got it back on topic

 

[wdwmom3]

I don't consider this a rant. This is my point with all those that declare COVID has a low mortality rate, and testing=more positive cases. The lingering effects are something that need to be talked about and understood. And, as the disease is so new, we don't have all the information on it yet. Part of the problem is that a majority of people today don't remember things like the results of outbreaks of diseases like polio in the 40's/50's. Those who didn't die were scarred for life. Or, measles, which ended up causing heart problems. Until we have a viable and effective vaccine, the best recourse, in my opinion, is to do our best not to get COVID. (so....limit contact, wear your mask , distance yourself, wash, wash and wash like the kidlets in the schools) there! got it back on topic

I think we will see the affects of this in people for decades to come. Possibly even those who show little symptoms now. Who knows what damage has been done that will just gradually get worse as they age. Just think about how long it takes the effects of sun damage to show up.

 

[Iralyn]

Well my prognostications did not come true. Thanksgiving and schools are still open, so they are doing better at managing than I expected.

Same. Though I question whether they are really doing a great job at managing. What I'm hearing as more like what Madame is saying below. For whatever reason, things are not being recorded and shared by the government in a way that reflects reality. The list on the government website is days delayed and they only include cases that are laboratory confirmed. Which I can kind of understand but also makes it appear better than it is as some parents choose not to put their child through Covid testing when they think it can be safely presumed that the child is positive based on symptoms and exposure. I have also heard anecdotally that once a classroom is closed, they are not reporting further cases for that class. I'm a bit skeptical on that one but I heard that from a friend of a friend in Ottawa area who was directly impacted by this.

They’re lying. Teachers on Twitter verifying that their Covid was recorded as community spread despite students in their room having Covid.

Yes, this is what I've heard too. If there is any other possible place that Covid could have been acquired, they will not assume school outbreak.