Connecting Experts with Our Clients: Cleveland Clinic’s COVID-19 Holiday Forecast for US Educators and For Us All
At ELE, we love connecting experts and thought leaders with our clients - whether through our Launchpad Speakers Bureau or our personal and professional connections. Recently, we were delighted to introduce Dr. Amanda Hagen of Cleveland Clinic to our client Joffe Emergency Services, which advises and trains educators, school administrators, and other institutions nationwide in health and safety practices. Dr. Hagen is the Clinical Director of Cleveland Clinic as well as the Medical Director of Cleveland Clinic AtWork, where she advises leading corporations & nonprofits on how to approach employees' health and wellbeing through evidence-based, medical recommendations. It was the perfect match!
Dr. Hagen spoke via Zoom to 150+ educators about how schools - and all of us, really - can plan for a safe return from holiday gatherings and travel. She also covered what to expect in the next phase of the pandemic and laid down the facts on vaccinations for children and young adults. Weaving humor and personal experience with warmth, Dr. Hagen spoke in easy-to-understand terms that educators can use when speaking to parents, students, and community members. Here is a summary of her recommendations that we hope will be helpful to educators and to everyone, so we can stay safe and healthy this holiday season and beyond.*
For the holidays and right now:
Check local guidelines weekly for updates and always refer to your local health department when making final decisions about COVID policies both personally and in your institution.
Be vigilant over the holidays, know with whom you’ll be socializing, and take precautions when needed! Take precautions around the elderly, unvaccinated, and immunocompromised including masking, hand-washing, and distancing. Keep an ear open for anecdotes of illness going around - COVID or non-COVID - and consider changing plans when needed or taking further precautions. You don’t want to be in the ERs right now, they’re overcrowded! (and if anyone can attest to that, it’s the Clinical Director of Cleveland Clinic!)
Where feasible, schools should consider testing kids and educators before they return to school from the holiday break, regardless of vaccine status. They may also consider testing 3-5 days after the start of school to account for New Year’s gatherings. This is probably a good rule of thumb for anyone returning to an office, in-person event, or congregate setting.
On the new Omicron variant:
A new COVID-19 variant is emerging called Omicron, with early evidence showing it may be more contagious, but is less deadly. The vaccines - with a booster shot - are expected to be pretty effective against it. Early evidence shows that the vaccines available in the US, especially the 2-dose Pfizer and Moderna vaccines with a booster shot (3 doses total), will be highly effective at preventing severe illness and death from the Omicron variant, and that’s amoré! Keep checking the CDC for the latest on evolving Omicron variant data and recommendations.
As for the vaccine and boosters:
Studies overwhelmingly show that vaccines are safe and effective for those 5 and older (Pfizer only for ages 5-15), with serious side effects rare, including recent concerns about the vaccine’s effects on the heart in children, fertility in males, and pregnancy in females. Keep in mind that being unvaccinated puts anyone at much higher risk of suffering any of the rare vaccine side effects that have been identified, through contracting a case of COVID. (Cleveland Clinic’s Vaccine Facts)
The CDC recommends that vaccinated individuals aged 16+ get a booster shot (3rd dose for Pfizer and Moderna) when eligible and approves mixing and matching vaccine types. Those who received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine are strongly recommended to get a booster shot of Pfizer or Moderna where available, but another Johnson and Johnson shot will still provide increased protection.
For the future:
The future does not look bleak - one day COVID-19 will hopefully be just another common cold or virus! Although we cannot be certain, it is very likely that we will not return to the days of shutdowns, quarantines, and endless virtual school. With the nation getting vaccinated, treatments getting better, and what we know about the normal course of viruses, it seems likely that COVID-19 will eventually evolve into just another type of common cold or respiratory virus (and we cannot wait!)
*Although the information above is based on medical data and evidence, individuals, schools, and institutions should always refer to the most-updated local and federal guidelines and their medical professionals for official COVID-19 recommendations and health advice. Data and guidelines are always changing.