A wave of summertime COVID is here. The Alabama Department of Public Health said there's been some evidence of that.
Health officials said this latest COVID strain isn't as severe as the first from 2019, but it's still making kids sick and many of the school districts in North Alabama pretty much follow the same safety rules.
Dr. Wes Stubblefield, a medical officer with ADPH, said current COVID numbers appear to be climbing.
"Some parts of the U.S. have seen some increases in the number of hospitalizations and the number of positive tests that are being reported regionally. There has been some evidence that there's been some kind of summertime COVID wave,†said Stubblefield.Â
Despite the increased numbers, he said in the late spring and early summer, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention backed away from making specific COVID recommendations for the general population, including school children.
He said at this point, health experts are warning parents of the big three respiratory viruses: RSV, flu and COVID - none of which are completely avoidable.
“We recommend school districts use the CDC’s guidance when they look at their policies for kids going back to school. This is pretty common among school systems in the past,†said Stubblefield.Â
Several districts in North Alabama pretty much follow the same guidelines. Â鶹´«Ã½ City Schools said it follows the CDC respiratory virus isolation guidance for illness such as COVID, the flu, and RSV.
A statement from Â鶹´«Ã½ City Schools said in part, "…individuals may return to school and normal activities if the following is true for at least 24 hours: symptoms have mostly resolved with overall improvement and if a fever was present, the fever has been gone without use of fever-reducing medication.â€
The Madison County School System also sent WAAY 31 a statement that reads in part, "…as for when students may return to campus, MCSS continues to follow the ADPH/CDC guidelines that are standard for most any infectious illness—fever, vomiting, and diarrhea free for 24 hours before returning to school."
Parents can get more information on the guidelines from the CDC's website by clicking .ÌýÌý
