Sending Home Any Covid Sx?

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Do you plan on sending every kid home with even just one Covid symptom? Our school nurses in the area have been telling me that’s their plan. I would be sending SO many kids home. With allergies and flu season, everyone will be affected pretty much! The list of symptoms is so long and so similar to multiple other illnesses

I wish covid was more obvious....why can’t you get a purple tongue with it?!

Specializes in school nursing/ maternal/child hospital based.
On 8/7/2020 at 7:42 PM, seedanurse said:

Our district has guideline for when to send kids home for one symptom (new cough, SOB, fever) or if they have two or more of the more mild symptoms they go home. Can return in 72 hours unless they get tested for COVID in which case they have to wait 10 days (even if the test is negative). I am worried this will encourage parents to NOT have their student tested. We also have several nurses who are worried about the volume of kids they will send home, and will be trying to weed out the COVID students from those with other illnesses. But not me. If you are symptomatic I'm sending home.

This right here!  We are seeing a decrease in the number of people tested, however, an increase in the number of people hospitalized.  ( more now than when the pandemic started in March)  The other issue, the guidelines change all the time.  Last week our school board voted to go back 100% and directly stated " WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FOLLOW SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES"  WHAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT?  No words, most days!! 

1 Votes
Specializes in pediatrics, school nursing.
On 8/7/2020 at 8:42 PM, seedanurse said:

Our district has guideline for when to send kids home for one symptom (new cough, SOB, fever) or if they have two or more of the more mild symptoms they go home. Can return in 72 hours unless they get tested for COVID in which case they have to wait 10 days (even if the test is negative). I am worried this will encourage parents to NOT have their student tested. We also have several nurses who are worried about the volume of kids they will send home, and will be trying to weed out the COVID students from those with other illnesses. But not me. If you are symptomatic I'm sending home.

Ours is basically the opposite! If they have symptoms, we encourage testing and let them know they can return 24 hours after the negative test result, assuming they have been improving or better for those 24 hours. If they don't get tested they're out for 10 days...

1 Votes
1 minute ago, k1p1ssk said:

Ours is basically the opposite! If they have symptoms, we encourage testing and let them know they can return 24 hours after the negative test result, assuming they have been improving or better for those 24 hours. If they don't get tested they're out for 10 days...

This is our policy also.  Students can return as soon as they have a negative PCR test.  If no test or any positive test (PCR or antigen) then out for 10 days after the onset of symptoms, 24 hrs fever free, improved respiratory symptoms.

Specializes in pediatrics/school nursing.
2 minutes ago, BrisketRN said:

This is our policy also.  Students can return as soon as they have a negative PCR test.  If no test or any positive test (PCR or antigen) then out for 10 days after the onset of symptoms, 24 hrs fever free, improved respiratory symptoms.

That's exactly what our policy is. If you get a negative test (or no covid test but alternative diagnosis) you may return. If you refuse to test, or if it's positive, 10 days after onset, improved symptoms, but 72 hours fever free.

1 hour ago, k1p1ssk said:

Ours is basically the opposite! If they have symptoms, we encourage testing and let them know they can return 24 hours after the negative test result, assuming they have been improving or better for those 24 hours. If they don't get tested they're out for 10 days...

Basically the same but we include that if parent/doctor chooses not to have Covid testing we need an alternative diagnosis to return to school. 

I have mixed feelings about the alternative diagnosis policy - feel its an invasion of privacy but on the other hand it really makes tracking general illness so much easier since I now know why kids are absent and we can hopefully be a bit more proactive in prevention.    

2 Votes
Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
3 hours ago, AdobeRN said:

 

I have mixed feelings about the alternative diagnosis policy - feel its an invasion of privacy but on the other hand it really makes tracking general illness so much easier since I now know why kids are absent and we can hopefully be a bit more proactive in prevention.    

That's interesting and I had not thought of it that way before. But the alternative in my district is that you come back in 10 calendar days.

I suspect as we wander into flu season we'll be adequately able to track the flu (and if we're lucky maybe even strep) cases, though!

1 Votes
Specializes in School nursing.

Anyone else starting to get to be besties with their local board of health? 

I feel like I am and I'm only working with such a small group of high needs in person students thus far. 

They have started to email me back using my nickname (not on my official school signature)

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