What balanced writing on this ridiculous debate over re-opening schools in the Fall in a fractured pattern across the United States! The hype that children are less contagious or less infectious than adults or teenagers is a political tool pandering to their pride over simple common sense about re-opening schools. We either move as 1-stampede or divide ourselves into pods of disunited States only 2b re-infected again &again.
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So, let’s get rid of the debate about children or even masks as a nation, &treat children as adults as the same cohort. It’s all in the family anyway. Let's do away with the debate over masks, too, &wear a broad PPE over our nation's mouths. It’s the same as debating if condoms or dental dams or nothing at all are more effective in preventing STD. Just wear it and be done with the debate. Only then can we discuss the real question of how 2fight this pandemic as a united front for all age-groups both young and old regardless of the evidence against U.S.
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The only fact that is known is that we do not know enuf about SARS-COV-2 or kids. So, why spend valuable resources, as Dr. John writes, on debating the viral load in kids or if they are infectious? It is a moot point that wastes valuable time, which we do not have. Children do not live in bubbles from their parents, people. Like Iceland ore South Korea, if we werk 2gether we can re-open schools in small safety bubbles. It is really easy. Take a look at SF Chinatown as a shining example of compassion. If there is any 1 weak link in our communities, the virus is an opportunistic pathogen and will exploit the weakest member of the global chain. If I were Trump, I would beg S.K. to learn the secrets of keeping their nation safe.
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Winter will tell if children are truly less contagious than adults with respect to SARS-COV-2 as some States re-open and some playing it safer. Already in GA there are outbreaks in schools. It’s not going very well down South. In my opinion as a biologist, children contract the virus less than adults because they don't party-hard like adults when the responsible 1s should b@home with their kids. Schools &daycare centers were closed, 4 the most part, during the Summer so how can children catch the flu? However, bars &workplaces remained re-opened 4grown-ups. But, when their parents came back home with an asymptomatic viral load, they gave their loved 1s the gift of immunity, I-Kiddo-U-Knot. Not all people R-alike. Not all kids are alike. Not all nations are alike. We can’t treat Americans but not treat the Chinks. In the end, the coronavirus will revolt &bite us in the butt. But, we can treat U.S. as 1 human family against the coronavirus rather than treating Our race as millions of wildfires to be put out 1 by won. Do u really want 2find out if kids Rless contagious than adults when lungs of children under 5 yo have more than a hundred times SARS-COV2 mRNA transcribing into viral spikes to our lung going to school without masks? This is actually happening across America. Take a look @Georgia burning again, Sherman. Who will die from our bickering when Winter comes across the Planes? I’ll C-who gets sick &write a paper about i.t. &send it 2Science ore Nature?
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Stone, Biologist, RPh