Back to School during the pandemic ...a discussion thread

[Best_Vacation_EVER!]

My son is doing virtual learning, but we got an email from his school (Ottawa Catholic school board) saying that everyone who was considered a class contact of the high school student had been notified by an earlier email.

WOW... ds is a OCSB student doing in class learning alternate days -- ds said a classmates family member had symptoms earlier last week ---and the family finally got tested Sunday (because they don't have endless time to wait in line --because --- well they need to be at work....) We still don't know the result.

Maybe .... just maybe... rather than ranting against one-off random parties... the gov't should focus on providing the volumes of testing that doesn't require a working person with to spend hours in line for themselves or their kids and instead provide a quick turn around ... The fact that testing is a crap-shoot --- and even if you get in it may take many days to get the result... maybe if we want to know who has the virus we should make testing easy, timely, effective and provide usable info quickly.

 

[wdwmom3]

WOW... ds is a OCSB student doing in class learning alternate days -- ds said a classmates family member had symptoms earlier last week ---and the family finally got tested Sunday (because they don't have endless time to wait in line --because --- well they need to be at work....) We still don't know the result.

Maybe .... just maybe... rather than ranting against one-off random parties... the gov't should focus on providing the volumes of testing that doesn't require a working person with to spend hours in line for themselves or their kids and instead provide a quick turn around ... The fact that testing is a crap-shoot --- and even if you get in it may take many days to get the result... maybe if we want to know who has the virus we should make testing easy, timely, effective and provide usable info quickly.

Umm I hope these people are working from home. If people are concerned enough to go get a covid test they should not be going to work and should be isolating.

 

[Meglen]

Umm I hope these people are working from home. If people are concerned enough to go get a covid test they should not be going to work and should be isolating.

Some people dont have the ability to do this anymore. saddly

 

[wdwmom3]

WOW... ds is a OCSB student doing in class learning alternate days -- ds said a classmates family member had symptoms earlier last week ---and the family finally got tested Sunday (because they don't have endless time to wait in line --because --- well they need to be at work....) We still don't know the result.

Maybe .... just maybe... rather than ranting against one-off random parties... the gov't should focus on providing the volumes of testing that doesn't require a working person with to spend hours in line for themselves or their kids and instead provide a quick turn around ... The fact that testing is a crap-shoot --- and even if you get in it may take many days to get the result... maybe if we want to know who has the virus we should make testing easy, timely, effective and provide usable info quickly.

And they are working on ramping up testing. I have heard they will soon be offering testing at pharmacies.

 

[wdwmom3]

Some people dont have the ability to do this anymore. saddly

sorry but they should be. If you are concerned that you have covid, enough to get a test, and you go to work etc then you are knowingly putting people at risk.

 

[hdrolfe]

Ottawa put in place some new fines, $5000 per day for anyone breaking the quarantine/isolation:
(a) are identified as a person diagnosed with COVID-19;
(b) have the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, have been tested for COVID-19 and are awaiting the results of their test;
(c) otherwise have reasonable grounds to believe they have one or more symptoms of COVID-19; or
(d) are a close contact* of a person identified in (a), (b) or (c).
*"close contact" means you are caring for or living in the same household with someone who has COVID-19 or have otherwise been identified as a close contact by the Medical Officer of Health or Ottawa Public Health staff acting under the direction of the Medical Officer of Helath (“Ottawa Public Health”).

I can only imagine how many families this impacts since if there is a case in a classroom the whole class is asked to isolate, which impacts the entire family. If there are other kids in the family those grades are impacted as well... and so on. Honestly, they should be prepared to send all the kids home to online learning sooner than later because at this rate it's going to get bad fast. I mean it already has really, so many more cases just since school started. Crazy.

 

[Meglen]

sorry but they should be. If you are concerned that you have covid, enough to get a test, and you go to work etc then you are knowingly putting people at risk.

Oh I agree with you.. but some cant jsut take time off

 

[wdwmom3]

Oh I agree with you.. but some cant jsut take time off

I don’t care. They need to. Other people can’t afford to get sick and possible die.

 

[Donald - my hero]

And they are working on ramping up testing. I have heard they will soon be offering testing at pharmacies.

Am I the only person who's extremely concerned about this possibility??!! I don't want to be standing in line to pick up a script in the same area that they give the flu shots (where i'm expecting that *they* figure will be the best spot for testing to take place) with people who are concerned enough that they are getting a COVID test. Who will be doing the testing? If it's a pharmacist I don't want them having any contact with my medications after they complete a test. The drug store is usually already full of people who are ill or have some kind of pre-existing condition.

OK, enough of the semi-rant that's waaay off topic

 

[vegs1]

Am I the only person who's extremely concerned about this possibility??!! I don't want to be standing in line to pick up a script in the same area that they give the flu shots (where i'm expecting that *they* figure will be the best spot for testing to take place) with people who are concerned enough that they are getting a COVID test. Who will be doing the testing? If it's a pharmacist I don't want them having any contact with my medications after they complete a test. The drug store is usually already full of people who are ill or have some kind of pre-existing condition.

OK, enough of the semi-rant that's waaay off topic

You are not! I thought the whole idea was crazy. While I am picking up my prescription, I can be near 20 people who may have Covid 19 and are being tested for it. I think it should be somewhere well away from the daily public traffic.

 

[MoreTravels]

One way is to set up pick-up lockers inside pharmacy. The prescription needs to prepaid by credit card or insurance direct billing. When a patient arrives, s/he phones in and speaks to the pharmacist. The pharmacist advises on the side effects then provide locker number and unlock code for the patient to pick up. The lockers are at the front of store near the new self checkout kiosks. This way, contactless pick up.

If it’s a new prescription, your MD can fax or send it electronically to the pharmacy of your choice.

So it is possible from a technical point of view to arrange contactless medication dispensing.

 

[Peachy0118]

The news just came out today in BC, they simply eliminated a whole bunch of symptoms in their screening list. It may just be me but I feel this is a cheating way to say we have less cases and exposures. So now the kids can go back to school with running nose and sore throat... I think it's like statistics, you change the cut off threshold so you will have less "false positive" in your screening but at a cost of missing "true positive". The thing with COVID is that we should not miss a true positive as much as possible.

Would they do this with airport screening? I am just picturing TSA saying there are too many questions about if one brings this and that, let's just shorten the screening questions, then there will be less "positive" so more entry allowed?!

As a parent, I am worried about this change... and hopefully the rest of Canada does not follow.

I'm a teacher in Alberta near the BC border and this concerns me IMMENSELY. We have low to no cases at the moment, reported anyway, but every day I have more kids home sick.

As an idea, if a kid in my "cohort" gets sick, I get tested and am positive, that will affect 120 students. I teach 4 classes and have supervision with two more. That is half of our small school... So if a teacher gets sick, that will almost certainly shut down our school for a while.

I think it depends a lot on where you are. But I have been telling all my friends with school-age children: your kid WILL be at home again for some amount of time. Get your childcare plans in place now. It might be two weeks, it might be several months. I know it sucks and it is hard, but it is going to suck more and be even harder when you just get the call that he has to stay home. Plan in advance as best you can.

I just think it is a good idea for everyone. I certainly yope it doesn't happen, but...

 

[Silvermist999]

Am I the only person who's extremely concerned about this possibility??!! I don't want to be standing in line to pick up a script in the same area that they give the flu shots (where i'm expecting that *they* figure will be the best spot for testing to take place) with people who are concerned enough that they are getting a COVID test. Who will be doing the testing? If it's a pharmacist I don't want them having any contact with my medications after they complete a test. The drug store is usually already full of people who are ill or have some kind of pre-existing condition.

OK, enough of the semi-rant that's waaay off topic

Totally crazy.100% agree with you. And it is really happening soon. Like this Friday! As a start.

I did a quick check and thankfully my Shoppers location isn’t on the list, yet.

https://news.ontario.ca/en/backgrounder/58491/ontario-expands-covid-19-testing-to-pharmacies-1
I think “regular“business will go down for these locations. I wonder how many are independently owned vs. corporate.

 

[Silvermist999]

You are not! I thought the whole idea was crazy. While I am picking up my prescription, I can be near 20 people who may have Covid 19 and are being tested for it. I think it should be somewhere well away from the daily public traffic.

Exactly! Shoppers isn't only a pharmacy, they also sell groceries, and other household goods as well. Not to mention many locations have a post office inside. This makes absolutely no sense.

 

[vegs1]

One way is to set up pick-up lockers inside pharmacy. The prescription needs to prepaid by credit card or insurance direct billing. When a patient arrives, s/he phones in and speaks to the pharmacist. The pharmacist advises on the side effects then provide locker number and unlock code for the patient to pick up. The lockers are at the front of store near the new self checkout kiosks. This way, contactless pick up.

If it’s a new prescription, your MD can fax or send it electronically to the pharmacy of your choice.

So it is possible from a technical point of view to arrange contactless medication dispensing.

I was using the prescription as an example. Pharmacies sell much more than prescriptions.

 

[Debbie]

60 pharmacies in total across Ontario. Nothing west of Mississauga (unless I missed it). And, if I'm not mistaken, they are suggesting that the people getting a test at the pharmacies should have no symptoms freeing up the current testing centres for those with symptoms. Yes, they could be asymptomatic, but no different than anyone else in the store. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toro...tario-september-23-fall-plan-part-2-1.5735266

 

[pigletto]

The pharmacy tests are for people with zero symptoms , by appointment only . They are required to wear a mask and socially distance . Other than the appointment that literally describes every single person in that store already . It’s just going to ease congestion for the COVID clinics who are taking people with symptoms .

I would ask the store but I highly doubt the persons administering the swab will then be preparing prescriptions. They will be subject to the same professional standards and procedures as the clinicians who test in the clinics.

I think by only taking the people with no symptoms they will be alleviating a lot of the congestion out of the lines for the clinics .

My sister works in a museum . She had dinner with another part time employee who works at another job . At the other job that part time employee worked in the same building with someone who’s mother in law tested positive for COVID . My sisters boss got wind of this and sent my sister home demanding a test . There was virtually zero chance that my sister would have had COVID . But she had to have a test . This is a perfect person for the pharmacy program . The vague loose connection people who need a test “just in case “.

 

[scrappinginontario]

There are 60 locations across the province. Considering the number of Shopper's Drug Marts, many (I understand not all) have an option of going to a different location if they do not want to risk being in a location where they are testing. I can walk to 3 locations from my home and there are many more within a 10 minute drive. I know it's not the same for all but we also need to remember why they're doing this. People are begging for more locations for people to be tested as many places people are waiting hours and hours in line.

I really do feel this is a good option for most, especially since it's being done by appointment which is what people in this thread have been asking for over and over again.

 

[quandrea]

Am I the only person who's extremely concerned about this possibility??!! I don't want to be standing in line to pick up a script in the same area that they give the flu shots (where i'm expecting that *they* figure will be the best spot for testing to take place) with people who are concerned enough that they are getting a COVID test. Who will be doing the testing? If it's a pharmacist I don't want them having any contact with my medications after they complete a test. The drug store is usually already full of people who are ill or have some kind of pre-existing condition.

OK, enough of the semi-rant that's waaay off topic

My husband said this very thing this afternoon. We go to a tiny, independent pharmacy so I don’t think we will be impacted.

 

[MoreTravels]

The pharmacy tests are for people with zero symptoms , by appointment only . They are required to wear a mask and socially distance . Other than the appointment that literally describes every single person in that store already . It’s just going to ease congestion for the COVID clinics who are taking people with symptoms .

I would ask the store but I highly doubt the persons administering the swab will then be preparing prescriptions. They will be subject to the same professional standards and procedures as the clinicians who test in the clinics.

I think by only taking the people with no symptoms they will be alleviating a lot of the congestion out of the lines for the clinics .

My sister works in a museum . She had dinner with another part time employee who works at another job . At the other job that part time employee worked in the same building with someone who’s mother in law tested positive for COVID . My sisters boss got wind of this and sent my sister home demanding a test . There was virtually zero chance that my sister would have had COVID . But she had to have a test . This is a perfect person for the pharmacy program . The vague loose connection people who need a test “just in case “.

There is also the example of travelers. Some countries and destinations, including Hawaii, would require a negative test before allowing an asymptomatic traveler to enter. https://www.gohawaii.com/safe-travels

There are LTC employees and visitors that are asked to do weekly test regardless if they have symptoms or not.

All these examples would be a good fit for community pharmacies to perform the test.