'We Are Still In A Pandemic,' Expert Shares Back To School Tips

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Parents of students returning to classrooms in the fall as the delta variant continues to spike have some difficult choices to make — one medical expert says those decisions should be about both minimizing and balancing risks.

Dr. Jeannie Kenkare says that although kids who are too young to receive COVID-19 vaccinations tend to be less likely to contract the coronavirus and have much less a chance of becoming seriously ill should they contract the disease, that doesn't mean that caution is misplaced.

"I don't want my kids to get COVID," Kenkare told Patch. "It's a matter of balancing risks. We are still in a pandemic. I don't believe we will always be in a pandemic, but for now, doing the things we know will mitigate the risks just makes sense."

Kenkare is the chief medical officer at PhysicianOne Urgent Care with offices across the Hudson Valley, including Mamaroneck, Cortlandt and Somers. She says that balancing risks doesn't mean returning to restrictive stay-at-home and remote learning models, noting that isolating children from their peers can have a long-lasting negative impact on development.

Kenkare said she believes a return to in-person learning is the right move at the right time, but she says the project isn't risk-free. There are, however, plenty of things parents and school districts can do to keep both vaccinated and unvaccinated students as safe as possible.

Kenkare said that throughout the pandemic, experts have seen mounting evidence that wearing a mask significantly reduces the spread of COVID-19. With an increase in breakthrough cases among the vaccinated due to the delta variant, masks are especially important as cases continue to increase and a large population of schoolchildren (ages 12 and under) are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

Masks aren’t the only tool we have this school year to keep kids, teachers, parents and the broader community safe, Kenkare explained. Testing on a regular basis is another important precautionary measure in tracking the spread of COVID-19. She is encouraging schools to participate in pooled testing this year so that cases of COVID-19 can be identified early. The protocol would go a long way toward keeping the community safe by providing another layer of protection to the students, staff and their families.

All students and teachers in New York will be wearing masks when they return to the classroom in the coming weeks. Kenkare says a few simple tips can make mask wearing as trouble-free as possible.

"It’s important to make sure kids are wearing clean masks," Kenkare said. "It’s crucial to wash cloth masks after every use, especially because kids will be wearing them through the entire duration of the school day. This will prevent bacteria build-up and can even help prevent 'mask-ne,' the skin irritation we’ve seen crop up since mask wearing has become common."

If parents opt for disposable masks for their children, washing is not recommended, but they should be discarded after one full day of use, or earlier if they become wet or soiled, Kenkare added.

Kenkare said that, despite the rise of the delta variant, parents need not fret about sending their kids back to school. She said that if everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated gets vaccinated, then the pandemic could be behind us sooner rather than later. In the meantime, the doctor recommends that everyone practice the techniques that have been proven to mitigate the spread of the potentially life-threatening virus, including frequent hand-washing, distancing when possible, diligent sanitizing and yes, mask wearing.