Clarification of the "New" Return to School Rules...
/Just yesterday, the state released new/updated rules for return to school for children who develop symptoms suspicious of COVID. Some of the school districts have sent communication to the parents about this, some of which is a little misleading. We want to clarify that though the rules change means not every child needs a COVID test, it also does not mean that a doctor can just see a child and “sign off” that they don’t have COVID without a test. The rules are very specific that it allows us to return a child to school without a test if they have an alternate diagnosis to explain the symptoms AND COVID is not suspected. This is mainly helpful for children that have a chronic condition whose symptoms overlap with COVID. However, many children will still need the test. For a few examples:
A child with migraines who is seen with a typical migraine headache without other symptoms, can likely be returned without being tested, but…
A child with migraines who is seen with a typical migraine headache along with fever and runny nose, will need a test before returning, and…
A child with what seems like a migraine headache who has no prior history of migraines, will likely need a test before returning
We also cannot just write that a child has “a cold, but not COVID” without testing, and the guidelines are very specific about this: “a signed [doctor’s] note documenting unconfirmed acute illnesses, such as viral upper respiratory illness (URI) or viral gastroenteritis, will not suffice.” We hope this makes things a little clearer going forward!
Unlike the spring when we were sending all kids that needed testing to urgent care, we now are obtaining COVID testing in the office and sending them to the lab. Currently turn around time is around 48 hours.
