Schools across the area are taking different approached to the school year to help stop the spread of Covid-19, but what about the common cold?
Erie News Now contributor, Dr. Becky Dawson says it will be very different to tell the difference between the common cold and Covid this school year because they have so many of the same symptoms.
“It’s not a perfect thing but stuffy noses, tend to be more cold like symptoms,” says Dr. Dawson. “Coughs, lung pain, and congestion tends to be Covid but, it’s not black and white.”
Dr. Dawson says the best advice she can give parents is to not send your child to school if they aren’t feeling well. “There are things that are deal breakers a fever, a really dry cough, anything lose of taste and smell, Covid toes, definitely don’t send your kids to school.”
She tells Erie News Now parents should be concerned if their child has two or more of the Covid-19 symptoms.
“We’re really looking for symptoms that don’t come on suddenly but we can’t explain where they came from,” says Dawson. “It feels like sickness is there, it’s not like an allergy or something else. I think paying attention is very important, a lot of schools are doing those daily health checks and not only do they help you think through do I have Covid symptoms but, do I have any symptoms and is my health changing from today to yesterday.”
Dr. Dawson does say mask wearing will help the spread, “because we are all wearing mask and staying away from each other, if we can continue that behavior of disease mitigation that we might see less or fewer cases of influenza and the common cold.”