Covid-19 In The Classroom

The Covid-19 Protocol: What Exactly Is It?

When You've Been In Contact With Someone Who Has Tested Positive:

So, the first thing you’re not supposed to do, is panic. And of course, that’s what I did.  A million questions ran through my mind at once. Who is this child? I don’t know. Due to the protection of privacy, they cannot reveal that information to me which I totally understand, but I can’t help but wonder, does my child play with this classmate at recess? Have they shared any food at lunch that went unnoticed? Do they sit beside or near each other in the classroom? Were masks being worn all the time? And what does this mean for my own family? Have I been exposed since? Where have I gone? Could I have spread it unknowingly to someone in the grocery store? And moreover, what about the little kid in her class who has the virus? How are they doing? How is the family feeling? Is everyone ok? So many questions…. Ok. Let’s start with the facts, and wait for the Principal to send the formal email.

The email came, and I don’t quite know what I was expecting. Perhaps I was hoping that someone on the other end was going to tell me that it was all going to be ok, I didn’t need to jump the gun, and my family was safe so long as I followed the RULES. WHAT ARE THE RULES? Truthfully, the most information gained from the email was to have my child tested, self-isolate her and her sibling, and beyond that, call Toronto Public Health. Ummm…. ok. Did this make me feel safe? Not really. When all I kept thinking was that if she has it, then I must have it by now. Wait, is that my throat feeling scratchy? Could I taste my dinner tonight? I still might have two weeks of uncertainty.

The Protocol

So, the next morning I called Toronto Public Health in the midst of morning chaos. My daughter was home, and back online virtually with her learning, my son was also home, and I was a bouncing ball between the two of them making sure school was going “according to plan” in my kitchen and dining room. Meanwhile, while feeling still very unsettled, I waited on hold with Public Health and listened to the Muzac that played coming through my phone speaker as I searched for my sound answers. Finally, I spoke with an attendant. Very soon I realized that the “grey zone” also meant that there was a lot of “grey area” within the protocol. Ambiguity is NOT my thing. I’m a Virgo. In crisis, I need cold hard facts so that I can manage and proceed. Please don’t use the words “if you choose to do this, or that…” just tell me what I NEED to do. I soon realized that the words SHOULD and MUST became almost interchangeable in places.  

At first, she asked me if my daughter was showing any symptoms of Covid-19. These include fever, runny nose, loss of taste and smell, coughing, sneezing, headache, and possible nausea or stomach ache and diarrhea. I told her that my daughter was NOT in fact showing any of those symptoms. She then said “ok, so she can self-isolate if you don’t want to get her tested, for 2 weeks.” But, wait a minute… aren’t I supposed to get her tested? isn’t that a MUST in the protocol? That’s what the Principal had said. So I responded with, “no, we’d like to get her tested but I’m not sure what the rest of our family is supposed to do.”  

“Oh, ok. Well, then here’s what you do…” If YOUR CHILD has been in contact with someone who has tested positive, this is what you MUST DO: (especially if your child is symptomatic)

1. Have your child tested for Covid-19.  
2. Self - isolate them and any siblings they have for 2 weeks.
3. Wait for test results.

Here is what you SHOULD DO:

1. You can also have yourselves and any siblings tested for Covid-19 but it’s NOT NECESSARY unless the family member who has been in contact with someone who has tested positive, is presented with a positive test result. So technically, I was told by Public Health that my husband and I could still “go” to work. Luckily, we work from home, because I don’t think I’d want to “go” anywhere. HOWEVER…. The teacher of the classroom who may have been exposed because she was teaching the sick child in attendance that day, MUST have a test done, and in the meantime, her spouse CANNOT go to work until her test comes back negative. Wait…. What? Am I following this right? Yup, I am. Right….

1. You SHOULD have your child self - isolate in their room according to Public Health. If they should come out of their room, then they are to be wearing a mask. And you SHOULD probably wear one too….  

Having said that, all of her classmates online that morning were having their virtual classrooms in their kitchens and dining rooms unmasked in their homes, as we were. My daughter agreed to put her mask on after I spoke to Public Health, and she ate her lunch in her bedroom while my anxiety-driven son wondered why she was in self-isolation, and was about to hit the panic button on his own health. “Oh Dear God”, I thought, “make this train wreck stop.” We told him not to worry, and that he wouldn’t need to be tested unless she tested positive, but we’ll need to wait and see... though we totally planned to get him tested too, but... clearly, one fire at at a time was all I could balance.

The Test:

So what now? Well, first of all, your child SHOULD NOT (must not?) be tested until 5 - 7 days after the potential exposure. There is a likelihood that if they are tested too early, the results may prove to be a false negative or positive, only resulting in them having to shove another swab up their nose again for another test. As far as the test is concerned, well, let’s just say it’s far from comfortable.  

Prior to Christmas, we took my 7 year-old daughter for a Covid-19 test because she had the symptoms of a cold. To rule out the possibility of Covid-19, we had her tested. My husband went with her and while there, the nurse suggested that he get tested as well just to be safe. He agreed, and before she tested him, she said “don’t flinch… because your daughter will see.” He was surprised how far up it kept climbing towards his sinuses and wondered how our daughter would endure it. Sure enough, when it came time for her turn, not knowing what to expect, she offered her nose only to be so uncomfortable that she jumped away and shook her head ‘no’. Unfortunately, the kind nurse had to try it again while my daughter had to put her brave mermaid face on in tears, and vowed how she NEVER wanted to do that again. Needless to say, the test came back negative.

But now,… “again” has come. And this time, it’s a MUST, not a SHOULD situation. However, for all those parents with anxious children who will anticipate the worst, there is another solution - The Saliva Test. In our area, Saliva Testing is accepted as a viable test option, however, you must be eligible to receive it.  

This eligibility is based on:

1. If you have a medical or anatomical condition that prevents you from being able to have a nasal swab.
2. Children 16 years of age or younger who cannot tolerate the nasal swab.

YaY! I’ll take Door #2 for $100, Bob! 

Should you be eligible for this option, ensure that you are well hydrated by drinking a cup of water 60 minutes before giving the saliva sample. Also, there is NO EATING, DRINKING, SMOKING, VAPING, OR CHEWING GUM 30 minutes prior to giving the saliva sample. So put away the Dentyne, and start slobbering up!

Be sure to call ahead and book an appointment for your Covid-19 test. Children cannot be tested at local pharmacies, so call ahead to the hospital and reserve your test spot. If opting for The Saliva Test, you might want to mention that over the phone as well, to ensure that the hospital location offers it, as not all of them do.

Testing Procedures

Plunging deeper down the rabbit hole, we called around to find out about where and how testing would be administered. We were then given different “optimal” testing times. On paper, public health recommends that you get tested 5-7 days after exposure. At the time, I was speaking to the representative from Public Health on a Thursday, 3 days after the potential exposure. She suggested I waited until the next day (Friday) to get tested. Following that, for a second opinion, I spoke to the classroom teacher. She said, “don’t bother getting tested until the weekend. Leave it until late Saturday or Sunday for the best results. This is what my friend who is a nurse told me,” she said. Ok… so now, I was going to hold off until the weekend according to the anonymous nurse, which fell in line with the suggested 5-7 day protocol. When Saturday came, I was looking through my phone again to call around to book an appointment at a hospital downtown for the saliva test. However, I checked my email first, only to find another letter from the Principal of the school saying that the school was going to have remote testing done in the school gym from Hospital staff to test the cohort of my daughter’s class specifically. Luckily, I hadn’t made any appointments, or tried to run my kids downtown, find parking, mask up, sanitize, stay away from people etc. etc. Ok… so now, I guess we’ll wait until Monday and go to the school… so is that the 7th day now? Are we still good for accurate testing results? I trust someone out there knows what they’re doing. I hope.

Monday finally came and we went to the school at the end of the day. It was well organized, and all parents followed protocol, filling out forms, and only entering through one entrance through the back of the gym, maintaining distance from each other. During this time, neither my daughter nor my son were showing any symptoms, so we decided that only they would be tested, and by this point… if she had it, we were all bound to get it anyway. My son was also good with taking the test, knowing that he would just have to sacrifice some spit, and not his nasal cavity. Although my daughter was doing a great job of wearing her mask in the house, and keeping in her bedroom, I was sure that despite precautions, we would’ve caught something on family movie night over the weekend or some other kind of family exchange.

We walked in, handed over our forms, and were then led to two chairs for the kids to sit in where they were each given spitting vials to spit in. I helped my daughter by holding the vial in place while she sat and spat. I coached her to pretend she was chewing gum or to chew the sides of her mouth to produce more saliva that would reach “the line” of the cup. Psychosomatically, I found my own mouth watering profusely and could’ve probably filled up that whole vial in 2 big spits just looking at her, but before long, they were both done with their spitting and the vials were put away into baggies for testing.

Waiting For Test Results

So as it happened…. Our results were never posted on the internet. Normally, when we’ve had the test done in the past, our results were posted on the appropriate government site within 24-48 hours. However, we’re not exactly sure what happened in this case, and perhaps will never know. All of the families waited for their test results beyond the 4 day maximum and sat in isolation while having school online once again. The Principal of the school had called the hospital that administered the tests and they had informed him that the entire classroom had tested negative… thankfully. They themselves didn’t know why the results had not been posted online.  

Finishing up our quarantine period, the children went back to school after the 14 day period. The child who had contracted the virus initially and showed symptomatic signs of a fever and extreme lethargy in the classroom, was also healthy again. The children were happy to see each other, and with the nice weather on its way, my daughter was aching to play in the local park. She kept her distance from all the other kids just in case and it was kind of sad and lonely to watch her in the sand with no one to talk to but me. Now, as vaccines start to roll out this brings a new light and new questions to the table for each individual and their feelings towards the vaccine. Some are yearning, some are fearful, and some don’t mind waiting until further data is confirmed regarding its after effects. Until then, we continue to mask up, keep to ourselves and wait in hope that our bubbles can grow bigger in time once again, to include each other in a way that is physical yet safe, joyous, and necessary.

Citations and Links: