Thread by @StLukesAnita

.@BSDEducation Board is also happening now. @drkennybramwell from @StLukesHealth Children's will answer questions and provide information about #COVID19 and kids:

Since the reintroduced of secondary students, @BSDEducation says it has seen an uptick in positive rates among students and staff. They say it's to be expected when you have more people back on campuses, even part time.

.@BSDEducation says 550 elementary students are currently quarantining due to a COVID19 exposure and 507 secondary students are doing the same. It’s a small percentage, they say – less than 1%. It’s based on contact tracing efforts.

There are 26,000 students in @BSDEducation according to its website, so google percentage math says 550 is actually 2.12% of students. I know I'm not the bestest at the maths, but Google is! I wonder how it got the lower %.

Doan asked: Difference between community spread and spread w/in our school community? @StLukesHealth's @drkennybramwell explained: Take the 61 COVID19+ @BSDEducation cases from 10/20 to 11/2 - Rate of 15.3 cases per day for 100K pop. vs. community rate of spread was 46+ %...

... So @BSDEducation school-based spread versus the community spread was 33% of the total rate. NOT 1/3 of all cases, but the rate in schools was approximately 1/3 of what they were in the community. They are increasing for the latest numbers.

It’s not @Stlukeshealth role to decide if schools should/should not be in person. We don't have same data as @BSDEducation. @kennybramwell shared collective health care feeling: mitigation steps that are in place & in practice do a good job preventing spread. (distancing/masking)

“To some degree, being in a school where students are required to wear a mask is probably safer than some of the situations many of us see when you go around the community." @drkennybramwell on concerns kids may be more at risk outside of school if in unsafe situations.

...The thinking from many in health care is that it's best for kids to be in the school environment IF it can be done safely and the necessary steps like masks, physical distancing and hand hygiene are all in place and enforced to prevent the spread of COVID19.