RETURN to school safely. A word, considering the Delta variant surge period. These days we are wondering how to do it, what rules to follow to allow students and teachers to resume without risking Covid infection or infecting someone in turn. Also because, in the meantime, the virus has not been watching. And the school, like the places of collective aggregation, can be the most attacked by the Delta variant (formerly Indiana), the latest arrival and very fast in spreading. According to the recent report by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, the high infectivity of this variant will greatly increase the cases of positivity especially among children and also among children, who are much more resistant than adults to infection by of the original virus strain. For this, the professor warns Massimo Ciccozzi, epidemiologist at the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, “for the return to school teachers should all be vaccinated” and “it would be advisable to immunize children and teenagers as well, especially since now for the Modern vaccine for young people from 12 years onwards there is the go-ahead from the Ministry of Health “.
Infections are on the rise, especially among young people
Positive cases fly with the Delta variant rising thousands to thousands per day. “The infections are increasing, but there is no hospital stress, a bit like what is happening to the British, who do not record increasing mortality – said Ciccozzi – this means that the vaccine works, I am talking about the double dose. Just like in Great Britain, which has halved the infected. What we see now we can consider the long wave of celebrations for the European football championships, graduation parties, the first holidays. Because we have seen that the first outbreaks were the result of all this “. Therefore, since the infections are growing especially among young people, it is there that for the epidemiologist “we must also intervene for the return to school”.
The boys move and “speed up” the virus
The more children social contacts increase, the more the virus “speeds up”. This is the basic data on which the expert of the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome focuses. “Adolescents have a greater sociality, so they could get infected and do the same with their parents – he explains – we keep in mind that in Italy we have 4 and a half million over-50s who are not vaccinated”. “Consequently, for the return to school the compulsory Green pass could be considered – he continues – certainly it is necessary to think with more altruism: I am talking about the teachers, who are required to safeguard not only themselves, but also others , in this case their pupils “.
Overcoming the negative effects of the pandemic on students
Among the negative effects of the pandemic in young people, in addition to the high risk of contagions and the possible consequences of Long Covid (long-term symptoms), there are indirect ones due to the lack of attendance at school. Already a year ago, the serious and lasting negative consequences of the closure of the school during the first lockdown on the psycho-physical health of the youngest had been aired. Already the first studies, later largely confirmed, highlighted the impairment of cognitive, emotional and relational aspects resulting from the prolonged closure, and the increase in the gap between students from backgrounds with different socio-economic conditions. In September 2020, the school in Italy reopened in fits and starts, making the country slide among those with the lowest teaching in attendance.
The “means of transport” node and the rules to be respected
Then there is the question of means of transport. “Let’s not forget that buses, subways, coaches and trains, packed with people, especially young people, headed for school, were and remain among the first vehicles of contagion – explains the epidemiologist – so common sense makes us say that we should think about a number of vehicles sufficient to transport a large number of pupils. But all of this must be done safely, so thinking about strengthening the fleet available. We must cut the link between infection and disease: people can get infected but do not get sick and so they don’t go to the hospital and they don’t die. This is a positive aspect, but the precautions are still useful, especially at school. Here, then, the use of masks and the need for distancing are included. I think this is a precaution to keep , at least for this school year “.
“We keep masks and spacing”
“The numbers will guide us”, repeated Ciccozzi several times thinking of the return to the classroom of thousands of Italian students. The Ministry of Education has prepared a draft of the school plan for returning to class in September: the goal is to get all students back in attendance. Ciccozzi agrees but, reiterates, on two conditions: “The first is that the teachers are all vaccinated, along with most of the students”. And in this regard, the proposal to set up vaccination centers directly in the institutions would not look badly. “The second condition – he concludes – where it is not possible to respect the distance, even in the classroom, is to wear surgical masks. A choice that the government seems to have made”. Finally, in the event that a contagion is registered, sanitation must be carried out (by specialized personnel or by the same school staff). But it must not be at least seven days since the last time the virus positive person has been inside the school facilities.
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