Washington As school districts ponder whether to reopen classrooms for in-person instruction in the coming weeks, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, warned that there could be an increase in reports of post-syndromes. -viruses that may be linked to the coronavirus, just as children prepare to return.
In an interview with “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Gottlieb said that diseases such as pediatric multisystemic inflammatory syndrome, whose groups have been reported in the United States, are currently being investigated. Gottlieb said a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the disease occurred approximately 25 days after children showed symptoms of the coronavirus.
“Given the fact that we have seen an increase in infections among children, we would expect that in about two to three weeks we can see an increase in these types of cases,” he said. “It will be the right time to send the children back to school. That could make many districts suspicious.”
The Trump administration has been lobbying school districts to reopen fully for classroom learning during the fall semester, and President Trump has threatened to cut federal funding for schools that choose not to, though it lacks the authority to withhold federal dollars that have already been approved by Congress.
However, state and local officials are weighing hybrid models of student learning, which would include a combination of virtual and in-person learning, and have raised concerns about how best to protect students and staff from the coronavirus.
Gottlieb said that while children are less likely to be infected with the coronavirus and less symptomatic, “what we are not sure of is their propensity to spread the virus once they become infected, and particularly when they are infected. ” symptomatic.”
“It appears that they are likely to spread the virus when they develop a symptomatic illness,” he said, “and that could be because they shed so much or because of their behaviors that a child is more likely to introduce it into the home because you are going to hug. your child even when he is sick
Added to the uncertainty about the next academic year is the increase in new coronavirus infections in many states. California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida have emerged as epicenters of the epidemic in the U.S., and Gottlieb predicted those states will peak in two to three weeks.
But he said that as those states begin to peak, other epicenters begin to emerge.
“You have to be very concerned now about Georgia, about Tennessee, about Missouri, about Kentucky,” said Gottlieb. “We are seeing a record number of cases, increasing hospitalizations and really a change at the center of the epidemic potentially in the United States. And this only augurs more problems for the fall and winter that we are going to take a lot.” of infection in the fall that we can never really go down. “
In an effort to combat the spread of the coronavirus, governors have suspended their reopens in phases and have again imposed restrictions on bars, restaurants and other establishments. Governors in some states have also issued orders requiring people to wear masks or face covers in public.
This week, the CDC asked all Americans to cover their faces to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and its director, Dr. Robert Redfield, said Tuesday that if everyone wore a mask, the epidemic could be under control within four to eight weeks.
But Gottlieb said it may be “an illusion” to believe that everyone will cover their faces.
“There is a hardened percentage of the population that simply feels that the masks are a violation of their freedom,” he said. “We have not been able to find some kind of acceptable means in this country between unfortunate expansion and strict blockades.”
Gottlieb said that if the public could reach a consensus on “some reasonable steps” to take, “we could get this under control and keep it under control.”
“Masks are an important first step, but I don’t see enough people agree to wear masks,” he said.
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