Should my child go to school? Is my child considered high risk?

Every child who comes to our clinic can technically fit under the high-risk umbrella because they have lung disease, however, despite this most of our patients should be able to go to school. Fortunately, most children, even those with underlying health problems/special needs, who have been diagnosed with COVID-19, have done well. In a meta-analysis published in early July that looked at over 7,800 children, more than 90% were either asymptomatic or had mild-moderate symptoms that could be managed at home. Less than 10% of children required hospitalization, and less than 1% required intensive care. Could your child get COVID-19 if they go to school? Yes. But the data we have to date suggests that even if they do, they will do well, and they will recover. Children with mild to moderate lung disease (mild intermittent asthma, mild persistent asthma, moderate persistent asthma, cystic fibrosis, recurrent bronchiolitis, recurrent croup, reactive airways disease) should be able to attend school. Data suggests that they are not at increased risk for severe disease. Those with severe/advanced lung disease likely can also attend school, but they MAY be at increased risk of having more severe symptoms. Patients with severe lung disease should review their risk with their pulmonologist. Again, based on our clinics experience and the available literature, most children should be able to attend school safely. That being said, we recommend that all families do a global risk assessment for their family. If your child goes to school and brings the SARS-COV2 virus home, are there other people in your home or with whom your child frequently has contact with that are higher risk because of age or underlying health conditions? If the answer to that question is yes, and those individuals are staying safe at home and are not out and about in the community, then you should consider keeping your child home.

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