With children back in school facilities this fall, parents have been urged to screen their kids for symptoms each morning before sending them to the classroom.
School districts across the province have released daily health check lists for parents in order for them to monitor for certain symptoms, and refrain from sending their child to school if the child showcases anything on the list.
The original daily checklist included 17 total symptoms from fever to shortness of breath, however, B.C.’s Ministry of Health has confirmed the symptoms list has been reduced only a few weeks into the school year.
The symptoms removed from the daily health checklist include:
- Sore throat
- Runny/stuffy nose
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Muscle aches
- Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
- Dizziness, confusion
- Abdominal pain
- Skin rash or discolouration of fingers and toes
Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said on Monday that it was recommended symptoms such as runny noses were removed from the list because there is a low probability they would be a sign of a COVID-19 infection on their own.
In an email, representatives for the Ministry of Health added that some of the symptoms removed are very common in children, so there were concerns that kids could be unnecessarily excluded from school.
Parents are being urged to continue to monitor for the seven symptoms that remain on the checklist, which include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Cough or worsening of chronic cough
- Shortness of breath
- Loss of sense of smell or taste
- Diarrhea
- Nausea and vomiting
Dr. Henry did advise on Monday that if a child has any of the removed symptoms in combination with the symptoms that remain on the checklist, they should be tested for the illness.
The narrower list is reflected in the province’s guidelines for kindergarten to Grade 12 schools updated on Sept. 11, which direct parents and caregivers to assess their kids for certain symptoms every day before sending them to school.
The bulk of the symptoms removed from the daily health check for students are still included in both B.C.’s self-assessment tool and the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s list of COVID-19 symptoms.
With files to Canadian Press
CHEK News
