While Spring brings us hope for warmer weather, seemingly declining COVID-19 numbers and increasing numbers of COVID vaccines, many people are growing wearing of adhering to the recommended safety precautions put in place to combat this pandemic almost one year ago. While we all know the mantra “Wear your mask, social distance, and wash your hands” by heart, the truth is testing of symptomatic persons and persons with a close exposure remains one of the important ways of controlling the spread of Sars-CoV-2 and the new variants arising in the US and other countries.
While the number of children suffering from severe disease is much less than older adults, testing is still crucial so that children may remain in school and continue to participate in athletic events which is so important to their physical and mental health. Children often present with very mild symptoms that can be overlooked as “just a little cold” or an allergy flare up. Many children have been tested multiple times during the pandemic and parents and children alike are reluctant to repeat the experience.
While we all want to see the light at the end of the tunnel for ourselves and our children, most experts agree the recent decline in COVID-19 cases has plateaued and we may be on the verge of another surge of cases due to the highly transmissible UK variant.
So the answer is...yes, your child may need to get another COVID-19 test in the next few months. Testing is just part of our path toward the light at the end of that tunnel.
If you have any questions please call our office so that we may advise you on the best course of action to take.