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Top 5 Tips for Navigating Back to School and the Delta Variant

Tips from Nemours Children’s Health and Main Line Health

Nemours Children’s Health and Main Line Health understand the challenges around trying to keep your family safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. With children back to school and the Delta variant of COVID-19 circulating, many parents may feel overwhelmed. That’s why experts from Nemours Children’s Health and Main Line Health recently joined Main Line Parent and Philadelphia Family for a Facebook Live to discuss helping families navigate COVID-19 and the return to school.

 

Here are the top 5 tips from the program:

 

1. Get the COVID-19 vaccine and continue wearing masks.

To best protect against the Delta variant, everyone who is eligible should get the COVID vaccine and vaccinated people should continue wearing masks. Nemours Children’s Health infectious disease specialist, Dr. Salwa Sulieman, described the Delta variant as a downpour – If it’s raining outside, you might just need to wear your raincoat, but if you’re in a downpour, you are probably going to use your raincoat and umbrella to stay dry. Being vaccinated and wearing a mask provides double the protection from the more infectious Delta variant, just like a raincoat and umbrella during heavy rainfall.

 

2. Get the facts.

If you are unsure about the COVID-19 vaccine for you or your child, speak to your primary care provider. The CDC recommends everyone 12 years and older should get the COVID-19 vaccination.

 

3. Keep an eye on your child’s behaviors.

Returning to school during the pandemic may cause your child anxiety or unwanted feelings. Here are signs you can look for in your child to tell if they might be struggling:

    • Unusual emotional outbursts
    • Expressed anxiety
    • Withdrawn or isolated
    • Changes in routine, behavior, or personality

 

If you recognize any of those signs in your child, try seeking support from a school counselor or a behavioral health specialist from Nemours Children’s or Main Line Health.

 

4. Set boundaries.

Comfort levels with masking and vaccination may vary from person to person. Accept that you and your family are taking the precautions that are right for you, even if others aren’t doing the same. That may mean turning down playdates or other gatherings, and that’s ok.

 

5. Don’t be discouraged by breakthrough cases.

Breakthrough cases are not a failure of the vaccine. A vaccinated person can be asymptomatic or exhibit signs of a cough or other COVID-19 symptoms. Just continue to protect yourself by wearing a mask, social distancing, and taking other precautions that make you and your family feel safe. If you do have symptoms, get tested and quarantine.

 

 

For more advice from the experts at Nemours Children’s Health and Main Line Health, watch the recording of our Facebook Live:

 

 

Nemours Children’s Health and Main Line Health are always here to help keep you and your family healthy. Visit our Nemours.org or MainLineHealth.org to find care for you and your child when and where you need it.

 

 

Nemours and Main Line Health support the Main Line Parent Community.

Nemours Children’s is a leading nonprofit pediatric health system serving Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. www.nemours.org

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