Local Omaha health authorities expect spike in Covid-19 cases as students returned to school, report

“I’d expect a bump up. But hopefully not to enormous amounts especially if people are pretty good on their vaccines,” Dr. David Quimby with CHI Health, said.

They encourage students and families to practice basic hygiene.

“When you are in a congregate setting in a classroom, you are at high risk for getting (an) infection. So just knowing all the tools we have, masking, hand hygiene, distancing,” Dr. Renuga Vivekanandan, CHI Health, said.

In addition to vaccines, testing, and quarantine, it is still crucial to stay at home if you have symptoms.

“If your child has some sort of symptoms, even if they are not that sick, getting tested is good. Because yeah your kid might end up being home, but you are helping out other kids too and maybe making it more likely that they can remain in class,” Quimby said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revised its recommendations, and CHI doctors have stated that the priority is to keep as many pupils in school as possible.

“If you are exposed you don’t have to quarantine. Wear a mask for 10 days and get tested if possible at day five,” Vivekanandan said.

Doctors recommend waiting 24 hours and retesting if a home test yields a negative result.

And although children return to school this year with COVID once again present, doctors aim to increase awareness of Monkeypox on college campuses.

“If there are some cases, possibly you could have spread, so more awareness we spread in the college community is going to be really important,” Vivekanandan said.

Monkeypox is mostly transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. Doctors are committed to ensuring early detection.

“If you have a concern, new lesions, something like that bring it up, there is nothing wrong with asking,” Quimby said.

CHI encourages all families and students to take advantage of the back-to-school season to update their vaccinations.