A mother from Atlanta, Geroge, has taken to Twitter to share a doctor's "sobering" response when she asked for their opinion on whether she should send her kids back to school.
The mom's lengthy Twitter thread comes as America is just weeks away from schools beginning to reopen, per the Guardian.
"I spoke with my children’s pediatrician today about her thoughts about sending my kids back to school. Wanted to pass on what she shared. A quick thread," mom Aisha Saeed began.
Her thread continues: "First, each area/region will be different so this perspective may not make sense elsewhere. I’m in Atlanta. Second, it’s one pediatrician‘s POV. I’ve known her a decade & trust her. But it's one opinion. Third, this is just me sharing what she shared. Not saying what anyone should do".
Then she revealed her doctor's response when asked for their thoughts on Saeed's situation.
"So I asked her point blank 'You’ve known me since my kids were infants what should I do?' She said that though the rhetoric is kids are not as affected, she has seen a lot of kids coming in w/ COVID. Not much March thru May but ever since summer camps opened, kids are coming in."
The thread continues:
"She said it’s a 10% positive test rate at their clinic. And kids are coming in with high fevers. Not the asymptotic stories I mostly hear. No Kawasaki yet either thankfully, but definitely kids who are pretty ill."
The doctor told Saeed to be prepared for her children to come home with COVID eventually due to the community spread in her area.
"She said if I choose to send my kids to in-person school I need to accept that my children will come home with it eventually. There is so much community spread here."
"That’s it. That’s the thread." Saeed concludes. "It may be nothing revolutionary but it was sobering for me because headlines and pundits are one thing, but a doctor I’ve trusted my children’s well being too since each were born... that opinion goes a long way for me."
As she mentioned, Saeed's thread is personal to her and the opinion of her family's pediatrician. However, at a time when many parents are wondering about what to do considering their children, it is important the conversations are being had.
Per the John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, the US has currently reported 3,592,316 cases of the novel coronavirus, and a death toll of 138,543.
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