We have an outbreak in Nebraska that started when someone who'd traveled to England participated in the Special Olympic games. She'd gone to 'several' health clinics with her symptoms. Since there weren't enough tests and England wasn't considered a high-risk area, she was never tested.
She spread the virus for nearly two weeks before she finally got sick enough to be tested. She hosted a slumber party in that time. Those in close contact with her were asked to 'self-quarantine' but their spouses and other family members were not. How does that even work?
Now the school system has put out a warning that some of the kids (mine included) were exposed to someone who had 'known exposure to the carrier.'
This whole thing is a cluster...you know what. So what do I tell my teen? I tell him to let me know if he's feeling sick and watch for a cough/fever. I tell him I've been through plenty of epidemics--H1N1, bird flu, AIDS...life goes on and we'll all hope for a mild case. I tell him we're not going to visit relatives in the nursing home for a while. Because this thing is spread farther and wider than is currently reported based on limited testing.
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Dr. Mogel suggested passing along the words one teenager recently used in talking about the virus to her: “She said people with stronger immune systems should take more responsibility to keep people with weaker immune systems well.”
Imagine if the president of the US advocated that the country manage the "social risk" together.
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Here's how I'd give my teenager advice if she was not now 47 years old (yikes):
I'd tell her that young people seem less apt to catch the virus and are resilient.
I'd tell her that any older people in her family or elsewhere in her life (a neighbor for instance) have more cause for worry.
I'd tell her that one way to feel stronger is to help people and that older person might appreciate her food shopping for them, or receiving a cheery phone call.
I'd tell her that what happens in life is frequently beyond our control, but fear is always a choice. Happiness is always available even in the darkest of days.
I'd tell her that together human beings can ease the burdens we all carry.
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“Sweetheart, boys and corporate media will bait and switch LIE to you.”
“If you want to cut through all the bull in politics son and get straight to the science, never stop researching and ask yourself these three questions;
Is it either-or or both and more?
Who owns all the resources?
How is everyone getting paid?”
Here’s an example;
Is our health system a failure in preparation of a pandemic? Do we need to stop locking up people and animals in small cages stressing out new plagues and virus? ... Answer: Both and more.
The resources to test, research and prevent pandemics were taken by this administration from the CDC to pay for locking up our drug war and regime change refugee families in conditions that spread pandemics.
Meanwhile Big Pharma pays corporate media to spread panic to scare our hard earned tax dollars out of the Congress to the tune of more than 12 billion. Did those resources go to testing, research, education, public health and hygiene or to enforce the endangered species Act that Trump gutted to help stop the international trade of illegal endangered species that started this pandemic in China?
Or will that money go into executives’ pockets while they dish out another pre funded, %25 effective flu shot?
Who gets the medical bill?
Oh, but Joe says we “get” to keep our existing sick care. Hooray.
How can you give teens appropriate advice when the adults haven't even figured it out yet?
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@Larry Figdill Because we adults know some very important things. Wash your hands before eating, after using the bathroom after touching door knobs and other places the virus may be on the surface. Do not touch your face. If someone has a cold stay away from them until they are well. Use tissues if you have a cold and throw them away after each use. ETC.
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My millennials are not concerned as mortality rate is low for them - in fact from what I've read, symptoms are extremely mild for the young and most likely won't be tested. But this is a problem, as I know my sons will not self-quarantine and I'm guessing the same for young generations. I'm hoping the message gets out that in order for things to get back to normal we need to be concerned for all, not just our peers.
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Hi I’m a teenager in a high school and I’m curious are people really experiencing ANXIETY over a corona virus ?! I have chemically induced anxiety and just found this crazy I mean for goodness sakes we do what we can to to avoid getting sick and if you do get sick then you get sick it’s not all that controllable, you can try to prevent it but other than that ... not in our control.
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@Mikaela
Yes, people do have anxiety about it. I’m glad you are seeing things with a level head, but you should try to be understanding of others’ feelings. It started in China and facts coming out of China were sparse at first. Also, people who spoke up about it in China “disappeared.” What happened to them? Why were they silenced by the government? A doc who warned others about it contracted it and died. Videos of Chinese makeshift hospitals and the Chinese authorities welding people’s homes shut aired on TV. Then the conspiracy theories about it being a biological weapon started. People have seen its spread and its higher rate of death than flu, so are anxious. They are also anxious because it’s a new virus and could mutate. Additionally, an earlier Coronavirus, SARS, killed millions of people, so there is anxiety due to memory for some. And people who know others with respiratory illness are scared for their loved ones because it hits them particularly hard. Add to that the fact that it’s highly contagious, and you have an explanation for fear.
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Nope. Not worried at all
@Mikaela
Your curiosity is understandable and perhaps it's because you are in an age group that seems to be at less risk than elderly people are.
Many people are anxious because uncertainty is one of humanity's most difficult challenges. When we know "what to do" in the face of a threat, life is easier. When there are many questions, anxiety arises.
But all that said, you have a very good point. We should do our best and not give in to fear; you're right about having so little control. And I do believe that fear is a choice.
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I'm curious why so much of the Covid-19 advice (including this article) say to get a flu shot. I'm unclear why getting a flu shot would help with Covid-19. Is it just that it's a good idea anyway? Or are people who have had a flu shot somehow less likely to contract other viruses?
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@BW The flu is a strain of carona the carona virus is just newer, no one is immune to it and it is spreading in cities so very quickly making it appear very threatening. Getting the shot could lower the crazier symptoms of carona but will not stop you from acquiring the virus all together .
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@BW
If we don’t get a %25 effective flu shot for some virus that’s already mutated how on earth will Big Pharma justify scaring $12 billion out of the Congress for Covid-19?
@BW It is because it is still flu season. Getting the flu and then possibly getting another virus following that would challenge our bodies ability to recover. Good Question!
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About a week ago I created a presentation on Covid-19 that was used in many high school classes in a local HS. For the most part students reported that knowing the basic facts was reassuring. The biggest concern they had after the presentation was for the health of older people in their lives. Before discussing Covid-19 with youth, it may be wise to consider how you wish to respond to this issue.
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@DWes
As an older person with family and many friends, I know I am still going to become isolated for a bit.
I'd love to have a chatty, reassuring daily 10-minute call from a teenager down the street telling me what people out in the world are saying, along with a few jokes.
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"Now, Billy, the Surgeon General says that masks don't help prevent the spread of Coronavirus. He's a Doctor who was chosen by the President just to give us all good advice about our health! Aren't we lucky that we have someone who we can trust and who cares about us so much?"
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How about the teens and children talk to US elders about coronavirus, since we're the ones who are more likely to die from it.
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What do you say to a child with Asthma or another condition that makes them more vulnerable? They know they are at greater risk.
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@Laura Sagerman Reassure them that children have been less likely to get sick from the virus. And then point out that as a parent you have everything to treat their asthma and will do that as soon as needed. Also, point out your family's good habits ie nutrition, good sleep, love between members that improve our chances to fight viruses. Then distract them with reading good books, playing games etc so they do not worry further.
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@Grace We are wondering if it will be wise to send our 9yr old asthmatic kid to school if it opens in the fall. He will really want to go, but we are worried. He has mild asthma but had pneumonia when he was 4. I wonder what other parents wjth similar situations are thinking.
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Great article. And, yes, Baby Boomers—who believe climate change is a hoax and who get their info about the coronavirus from Fox News—definitely should impart their wisdom about the virus to teens and tweens. It's always good when the young and stupid are enlightened by the old and wise, especially when the Boomers' source is Sean Hannity or a chain e-mail.
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@Sándor
Please - don't assume all Boomers are conservative. In fact all of the Boomers I know are lefties, like myself.
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@Sándor
you're confusing boomers with conservatives. I'm a boomer and very progressive, as are most of my friends. we've been fighting for civil rights and for the environment since the 70s.
and the "young" ones I know aren't even slightly "stupid".
let's be careful about each other. a little kindness and grace.
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I think it is important that reporters start referring to this disease as COVID-19 instead of generically labeling it as coronavirus. Coronavirus infections are and have always been common, and this increases confusion when people's kids go to the doctor with a cold and testing reveals coronavirus (although it is not COVID-19).
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The big question I have thar no one, including The NY Times or my local healthcare provider seems interested in asking or answering is:
If you are an otherwise relatively healthy person and have had a “bad cold” within the past 2 weeks...should I volunteer to be tested...at the very least for the purpose of epidemiological data gathering...or to decide whether or not to visit grandma this weekend.
Of course I’ll be washing my hands and watching where I cough and sneeze...but...
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@Woodson Dart. Why not ask your doctor? I would.
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@Laurie -
My understanding is they need to reserve the test kits (which are just now becoming readily available) for people with a strong likelihood, based on travel, known exposure, or perhaps severe symptoms.
Then there's the matter of getting them to a lab that can run an accurate test in a timely manner. They really don't want to clutter up a newly developing system with "maybes" or "probably just a colds."
It's like if you go to urgent care, they probably *won't* test you for a bunch of things if it looks like you have a bad cold and seem to be handling it okay. Or, that's' been my experience with my kids - most common response is to "go home, get some rest, drink water."
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Okay...so I emailed my doctor who said: “...folks with a respiratory infection should quarantine themselves, likely for at least 2 weeks. But they will get better spontaneously. If one develops a high fever or shortness of breath then it is time to reach out for help.”
Wow...2 weeks! “Respiratory infection” is a pretty broad term. I am currently on vacation but I know at least one person from my office who very much sounded like she had an upper respiratory infection last week and was definitely NOT self quarantining herself for 2 weeks. Took 3 sick days at best and I very much doubt she was tested. I have not heard boo from my employer, healthcare insurance provider...anyone.
I am not trying to be paranoid...only to take what I hear and think critically. My own 27 year old son who is in and out of NYC often, had a comparatively mild cold a week ago and then visited his 91 year old grandmother over the weekend after he was “feeling better”. No one at the assisted living facility asked him if he’d been sick over the past month let alone whether or not he’d quarantined himself or been tested.
At this point I am simply going to stop worrying or reading about this and assume that no precautions beyond the usual flue season protocols are warranted. Perhaps Trump IS right on this and it will just fade away. No one seems interested in finding out the real number of cases out there beyond those who are at death’s door.
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And what do parents of children with pre-existing conditions tell their children?
I've seen little to no advice on this at all. Some children ARE in the high risk segments. For example, my young teen daughter has Type 1 Diabetes.
I see doctors warning the elderly, which is good. I see doctors and society making the generalization that the co-morbidity of a pre-existing condition only exists with old age and offering enhanced warnings for those individuals. Again, this is good.
But I see a segment of the population being glossed over too: the young with pre-existing conditions.
Most young people can't help they were dealt a bad hand in life in terms of medical issues. And they're noticing there's no advice geared toward them.
So I'll continue to search for answers for my child...
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@GSB
I have fairly severe asthma. I've been following the advice for the elderly, except adapted for the fact that I need to be outside and in public spaces. (I'm a college student. No sick time for me or any of my classmates, unless we've been hospitalized.)
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@Amanda
Thank you for your reply.
We've adopted a similar approach for my daughter as we just don't have better information at this point.
Balancing caution and calmness has been our focus.
Best to you.
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@GSB In China, the most common infection pathway for children was from their families. If you keep your at risk child at home I think you would be wise to follow the advice about avoiding infection carefully and consistently in your house. Maintain 6 ft distance, handwashing, surface cleaning, covering coughs and sneezes with tissues and disposing of them etc.. Keep in mind that out of the first 45,000 people diagnosed in China only one person under 20 died.
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Because of the Internet, lots of teens and tweens likely have seen plenty on Coronavirus. Why parents should certainly talk with their kids about this topic, no one should think the kids are oblivious. And if they go to school, there is likely tons of information, and misinformation, circulating.
3
Homeschooling seems like it is becoming a more attractive option.
10
I am disappointed that none of this advice addresses racism. Sadly many Asian kids are experiencing both outright racism, misunderstandings, and "jokes" in poor taste about them being carriers of the Corona virus because they are Asian. Please teach your kids that the virus does not know race and can be transmitted by anyone, and that joking about Asian kids infecting others is cruel and not the least bit funny.
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I understand these words, but I am also concerned with the reality that a lot of people cough and sneeze all over the place in close quarters and there's not a lot any of us can do about it.
I ride public transportation, and I figure it's basically Russian roulette with regards to communicable diseases.
I also work in human services, where "telecommuting" is not an option.
I have talked with my kids about common sense hygiene practices and I hope they and I have strong enough immune systems to kick out most viruses without needing hospitalization. However, it's not just about "us" -- it's about the grandparents, the old neighbor lady, and the multitude of people who are immuno-compromised. (Just like regular influenza... but without the Tamiflu.)
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Not “just like the influenza”. Twenty times more lethal, no vaccine, no treatments.
1
@AL -
I don't mean covid19 is just like influenza. I mean people who are medically fragile are at much higher risk with this new thing just like influenza.
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The assertion that “It may be reassuring to some young people to learn that children seem to be less likely to get the virus” is dangerously wrong.
In fact, children most certainly do “get the virus”, they just seem to be getting less severely ill from it in large numbers. However there is evidence that children (and others) can still spread the virus even if they themselves are not significantly ill.
This sort of misinformation that gives people a false (low) sense of risk is really dangerous in a pandemic like this. Our brother (smartly) just pulled their kids out of daycare. That will be over the first means of transmission through families in the population. It was one of the hardest and most disruptive decisions of their lives and I am so proud of them for doing it.
14
@AL - And how long will he keep them out of daycare? The next six months?
11
Taking it a week at a time at this point and trying not to be overwhelmed by the big picture and likely trajectories. But yes, at least the next 6 months of home school is not an unreasonable amount of time to expect based on what we know about this and historical epidemics. But my best guess (as a Ph.D. in cellular biology) is next fall/winter is going to be a very tough time. We are entering a period of time unlike what any of us (for a couple of generations) have ever experienced.
6
@AL Your data is incorrect. The infection rate among children is significantly lower than for other age groups. We know this because China has extensively tested family members of infected people including children as part of their contact tracing program. This may be due to the fact that the protein receptors that the virus binds to are less highly developed in Children.
Data from China also shows that children are much more likely to become infected at home in family clusters than at school. Chinese data has been verified by the WHO.
3
First rule in the service industry: Always wash your hands; never touch your face. That's been my gold standard forever.
More practically, I would probably start by explaining the terms pandemic, epidemic, and endemic. You can speak normally about the conversation. It's not a secret. The discussion is even good SAT practice.
Epidemic is an outbreak specific to a certain region. Pandemic means the outbreak is everywhere. Endemic means the virus continually reoccurs as either a pandemic or an epidemic. Malaria is a good example of an endemic epidemic. You will only contract malaria when mosquitoes are active and mosquitoes are only active in certain places at certain times.
A pandemic by contrast is everywhere, although not necessarily all the time. We're not sure about Covid-19. However, without a vaccination, you can safely assume everyone is going to catch it eventually. Some percentage (we're also not sure) among the infected are going to die as a result. The same thing is true about cancer though. Every human can develop cancer. We don't fully understand why we can save some people and not others. It's a mystery.
Finally, I would use this opportunity to introduce emergency preparedness in general. Ask the question: What would you do if... [fill in the blank]. This is actually a large part of scouting which is a hobby many teenagers enjoy even without a virus. Scout motto: Be prepared, right? You can channel that anxiety into constructive activities.
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@Andy
It’s a pandemic.
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I’m hoping parents keep sick children home. I don’t think that’s unreasonable given the risks to older and more vulnerable adults.
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The problem is that parents can’t take off work.
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I’m frustrated by the repeated advice to stay away from people who are coughing. My kids had influenza a month ago and are still coughing. Other kids have colds and are coughing. Can we not turn kids with routine illnesses (it is cold and flu season, after all) into social pariahs?
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I don’t think you are taking into account the serious nature of this virus.
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@Mom Of Teens
Your kids had influenza and you're annoyed that people would want to keep their kids away?
Bless your heart.
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