Numbers are our best guide — its time to return to schools
Now is the time to balance protecting ourselves from COVID-19 with the need to restore the most important things to our society.Getting our children back in the classroom is one of those things, writes Dr Nick Coatsworth.
Opinion
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- Hear from the expert: is it safe to send kids to school?
- Medical experts’ tips: How to keep schools safe from COVID-19
- Teachers confused by contradictory COVID-19 messaging
Parents and teachers of school-aged children are resigned to getting the usual coughs, colds and sniffles that circulate in our community through winter and spring.
It’s a part of the gig – accepted and endured.
But what of COVID-19? It’s no ordinary cough or cold. Surely if our message is we need to maintain physical distance, everyone who can should stay at home and our kids should be studying online.
Right?
It’s not that easy. Every virus is different, and for COVID-19 there are health realities emerging that can inform our policy approach to schools.
Detailed investigations in Australia have not revealed large numbers of COVID-19 cases (so-called clusters) spreading among children from existing cases in schools.
Contrast this to the significant instances of transmission that have occurred at gatherings of adults – from weddings, through to church services and residential aged care facilities. Why is this the case?
We don’t exactly know, but it is possible children are protected because of differences in their cells and immune system that change with age. This also means the risk for a child contracting severe COVID is very much lower than for an adult.
The numbers are our best indicator, and in Australia only two out of every 100 cases are in children between the ages of five and 18 years. Although we have tested more adults overall, when we have tested extensively around school outbreaks, very few cases have been found.
Is that enough to let our classes go back to normal? The expert medical advice is yes. We can protect our teachers in the classroom without having to maintain many weeks of online learning.
The best way to do this is to ensure that vulnerable teachers, either due to their age or an existing health issue, are protected by offering them workplace arrangements that keep them not just away from the classroom, but away from the staffroom.
We can also avoid gatherings of adults in schools, for instance during pick up or drop off.
Finally, we have recommended to government a series of enhanced hygiene and physical distancing measures that can be used in the usual school environment.
As Australians we have made such a huge effort to control COVID-19. Now is the time to balance protecting ourselves from COVID-19 with the need to restore the most important things to our society.
Getting our children back in the classroom is one of those things.
Dr Nick Coatsworth, Australian Government Deputy Chief Medical Officer: