Would you isolate yourself from your family if you know you will be in contact with Covid 19 almost daily?

[chrono]

We are having a massive second wave. I would not like to be in your shoes making the decision between protecting my children vs putting food on the table.

 

[chemgirl]

Which country are you in @chemgirl?

Yes it is a free for all at school here now! They are resuming sports carnivals etc next term. They have been doing gymnastics at school. Zero social distancing (they preach it but in reality I know better, I have a feral 7yo who tells me who ate what from whose lunch etc).

It will be fascinating to see how this all plays out in terms of data in a years time.

I’m in Canada, but education is managed provincially so each province has their own approach. Mine is definitely on the more cautious side.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

It depends on how your hospital is supplied with PPE. If you have proper PPE I would still go home. I'll be going back to work in September in person (special needs teacher) with who knows what PPE supplied to us with students who won't wear it. They don't consider pregnancy a reason to be able to teach remotely at home so I have to go in. I need my paycheck and medical insurance so it will be what it is.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

This is a tough spot to be in, your kids are little and they are only little once and they need their mother.

You have to decide whether the risk
is worth being with your kids or if there is some way to eliminate that risk like a leave of absence. Nobody can tell you the right answer it depends on your circumstances, financial situation etc.

I know folks are holding out for a vaccine but there is no guarantee it will work or that it will work for everyone. Plus if the virus mutates then they have to play guess the strain like with the flu shot and we see how effective that is some years.

To answer your question, I wouldn't isolate myself but I'm more comfortable with risk.

 

[OreoRosies86]

Are you able to use your skills in a different way, perhaps via dispatch?

 

[House Cat]

Yes! That is one thing they do, do! They wash their hands a lot I've been told.

But they all sit next to each other, share food and eat things growing from the garden.

Your rate of disease is very different than it is in the US. It’s like talking apples to oranges. We are in crisis over here.

 

[House Cat]

We have a travel trailer that is fully stocked. We plan on using it for isolation if needed.

For your situation, I vote for you to stay home. The exposure is too great and you can’t be away from your children.

 

[Bonfire]

Your concerns are certainly valid ones.
My daughter is a critical care paramedic and works two 24hr shifts a week. She has multiple Covid patients every shift. They are the ones in the most critical conditions. She is married, no kids.
She takes her boots off outside and strips off her clothes on the basement stairs and puts them in the washer, then Showers and washes her hair. Her husband was Covid tested a few weeks ago because someone at his workplace had it. He tested negative thankfully. I don’t know how sustainable isolating yourself completely from your family long term is.

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

Two of my close friends are in similar positions. Both have access to PPE and frequent testing. One is isolating in her basement where they have an in-law unit. The other took an extended maternity leave and is terrified of being back at work.

Given you have a newborn and their immune systems are not yet fully developed, I would consider if there is an extended maternity leave. Also depending on your financial situation, I would consider looking at other jobs in your field where you can WFH or resign/take time off until the pandemic I'd over, given your newborn. Not to scare you, but I read newborns have more challenges, complications, and a lower survival rate from COVID due to their immune systems not being fully developed.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

@mellowyellowgirl , @chemgirl French and German authorities (Robert Koch Institut, Institut Pasteur) say the same: kids more likely to get Covid from an adult than the other way around. Multiple studies underway as to why, since viral load seems to be as high as in adults, as a much discussed study by Dr Christian Drosten suggests.


OP, thank you for you work! I'm sorry you're in this dilemma. I certainly wouldn't isolate from children so young, but if you cannot survive on one income I'd try to take very very strict precautions : clothes change upon arrival, followed by shower. If at all possible masks. This is pretty hard, because toddlers really have communication problems and get freaked out easily..

 

[Buttercookies]

Two of my close friends are in similar positions. Both have access to PPE and frequent testing. One is isolating in her basement where they have an in-law unit. The other took an extended maternity leave and is terrified of being back at work.

Given you have a newborn and their immune systems are not yet fully developed, I would consider if there is an extended maternity leave. Also depending on your financial situation, I would consider looking at other jobs in your field where you can WFH or resign/take time off until the pandemic I'd over, given your newborn. Not to scare you, but I read newborns have more challenges, complications, and a lower survival rate from COVID due to their immune systems not being fully developed.

I’m on extended mat leave until Sept. my husband is healthy. Other than 2 of our kids, we don’t live with anyone else.

Originally, I was planning to be careful and take all necessary precaution befor coming home but then my sister in law asked if I was going into isolation so it got me thinking if I’m being irresponsible if I don’t.

To make matter worst, I have to find live-in nanny for the 2 kids. So far nannies are rejecting to work with first responder family where I live.

 

[OoohShiny]

Given you have a newborn and their immune systems are not yet fully developed, I would consider if there is an extended maternity leave. Also depending on your financial situation, I would consider looking at other jobs in your field where you can WFH or resign/take time off until the pandemic I'd over, given your newborn. Not to scare you, but I read newborns have more challenges, complications, and a lower survival rate from COVID due to their immune systems not being fully developed.

Do you have a link to the data / studies / reading on that?

I have read that some theories think children are not affected because their immune systems are not as developed and/or react differently, which means they are at reduced risk of cytokine storm etc.


Do you have the numbers for the US for infant deaths from C19?

 

[MRBXXXFVVS1]

Do you have a link to the data / studies / reading on that?

I have read that some theories think children are not affected because their immune systems are not as developed and/or react differently, which means they are at reduced risk of cytokine storm etc.


Do you have the numbers for the US for infant deaths from C19?

Unfortunately, I didn't save the links. I read that children are not as affected, however newborns are a different case.

 

[Missy]

Do you have a link to the data / studies / reading on that?

I have read that some theories think children are not affected because their immune systems are not as developed and/or react differently, which means they are at reduced risk of cytokine storm etc.


Do you have the numbers for the US for infant deaths from C19?

Here’s what I could find.

How COVID-19 affects babies and children

Know the symptoms of COVID-19 in children, what to do if your child appears sick and how to keep your family healthy.

www.mayoclinic.org

“
Although rare, children under age 1 (infants) are at higher risk of severe illness with COVID-19. This is likely due to their immature immune systems and smaller airways, which make them more likely to develop breathing issues with respiratory virus infections.


A study of more than 2,100 children with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 in China between late December and early February showed that just under 11% of infants had severe or critical illness. In comparison, rates of severe or critical illness were about 7% for children ages 1 to 5, 4% for those 6 to 10, 4% for those 11 to 15 and 3% for those 16 and older.

“

And:

Healthcare Workers

COVID-19 guidance, tools, and resources for healthcare workers.

www.cdc.gov

“Data suggest that infants (<12 months of age) may be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared with older children; however, information on clinical presentation and disease severity among neonates is limited and based on case reports and small case series.

 

[Buttercookies]

@missy Thanks Missy. I think what I can do is to reach out and see if I can be off of the front line and do other duty until my 2 months old reach 1 yo.

 

[Begonia]

I'm being called off furlough as an essential service worker. Risks are lower than yours, but I plan to use the precautions suggested here.

Thinking about you and this stressful situation you're facing.

 

[OoohShiny]

Thanks, @missy!

I take some comfort from this sentence:

"however, information on clinical presentation and disease severity among neonates is limited and based on case reports and small case series."

The fact the data is so limited suggests that issues are very uncommon.

 

[voce]

It looks as though people are all over the place with risk tolerance. I personally wouldn't isolate myself if I were in your case, but it's a good idea to ask and see if you could be off front line duties until your newborn reaches one year old. Good luck, I hope you do get the permission to work in a different duty/capacity.

 

[Musia]

Son in law works at a county hospital as a respiratory therapist. His area is mostly NICU but sometimes he assists doctors who care for Covid patients too. His daughter just turned 1y.o. My daughter works with kids, she is a private violin teacher. Usually they were getting sick (not a baby) 4-5-6 times a year. Since the beginning of the pandemic, because my daughter now teaches online and uses mask while outside, and her husband is using PPE while at hospital, non of them got sick in 2020. We resumed seeing each other long time ago. My husband and I are wearing masks when we do our shopping. I would do whatever causes me less stress and gives me less worries if I were in your situation. My daughter and her husband believed in breastfeeding as a strong protection for their little one.

 

[OoohShiny]

Usually they were getting sick (not a baby) 4-5-6 times a year. Since the beginning of the pandemic, because my daughter now teaches online and uses mask while outside, and her husband is using PPE while at hospital, non of them got sick in 2020.

I think it's an interesting aspect to the current discussions - are we lowering our immunity in the longer term by not exposing ourselves to illnesses as regularly as we used to do?

 

[Musia]

I think it's an interesting aspect to the current discussions - are we lowering our immunity in the longer term by not exposing ourselves to illnesses as regularly as we used to do?

Better not to expose ourselves to illness intentionally, but also not to live in a "sterile" environment. Long term isolation from all kinds of bacteria will harm our immune system IMHO. My daughter in law just grabbed her 21m.o. about 10 min. ago and they both went shopping for the first time since lockdown. She is a pharmacist (research, not a retail pharmacy)

 

[voce]

Better not to exposure ourselves to illness intentionally, but also not to live in a "sterile" environment. Long term isolation from all kinds of bacteria will harm our immune system IMHO. My daughter in law just grabbed her 21m.o. about 10 min. ago and they both went shopping for the first time since lockdown. She is a pharmacist (research, not a retail pharmacy)

Yes, this is called the germ theory or hypothesis, I think? Cleaner environments lead to more auto-immune response. New Zealand has the cleanest air and one of the highest incidents of allergies in the world.

Shhh, don't tell my future mother-in-law this, but I'm not going to be cleaning up my kids' play space too much or telling them they can't eat stuff that fell to the floor (the "10 second" rule will apply). My fiance grew up in a super clean environment thanks to my future mother-in-law being very clean. He suffers allergies more often than I was aware people could suffer before I met him.

Myself, I grew up in a dirtier environment (1980s China was poor), and I have no springtime/airborne allergies, period. I'd prefer for my kids not to be too dependent on popping a pill for allergies every day.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

Yes, this is called the germ theory.

Shhh, don't tell my future mother-in-law this, but I'm not going to be cleaning up my kids' play space too much or telling them they can't eat stuff that fell to the floor (the "10 second" rule will apply). My fiance grew up in a super clean environment thanks to my future mother-in-law being very clean. He suffers allergies more often than I was aware people could suffer before I met him.

Myself, I grew up in a dirtier environment (1980s China was poor), and I have no springtime/airborne allergies, period. I'd prefer for my kids not to be too dependent on popping a pill for allergies every day.

Haha my son grew up with two furry dogs. They are well cared for and look clean but put it this way: they are inside dogs that don't wear shoes when they go outside

Goodness knows what they track in! He caught his first cold at 3 yrs old!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Yes, this is called the germ theory or hypothesis, I think? Cleaner environments lead to more auto-immune response. New Zealand has the cleanest air and one of the highest incidents of allergies in the world.

Shhh, don't tell my future mother-in-law this, but I'm not going to be cleaning up my kids' play space too much or telling them they can't eat stuff that fell to the floor (the "10 second" rule will apply). My fiance grew up in a super clean environment thanks to my future mother-in-law being very clean. He suffers allergies more often than I was aware people could suffer before I met him.

Myself, I grew up in a dirtier environment (1980s China was poor), and I have no springtime/airborne allergies, period. I'd prefer for my kids not to be too dependent on popping a pill for allergies every day.

I have followed this as well. I teach elementary in a special education school, from ages 3-8. I do not overly clean or use hand sanitizer. I go from room to room and just wash my hands in between classes. After the first 2 years of getting sick frequently I rarely get sick. I do not really use bleach or harsh cleaners in my house (only occasionally in the bathroom). My son is 4.5 and has had fevers only 3x in his life (none requiring anything more than advil) and has never been on antibiotics. We do vaccinate on schedule including the annual flu shot. He does go to preschool (for the last two years) and is still good. No antibiotics, no ear infections, no hand foot mouth, nothing. He does have indoor/outdoor allergies but just takes a small daily dose of zyrtec. He got those from me. We keep our cats and dogs and he's much less reactive than he used to be.

 

[msop04]

As most of you know, I work in a pharmacy inside a clinic. I haven't isolated from my family at all. My extended family doesn't live close by, so that hasn't been an issue.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I still find it a, a worry with grandchildren spending time with older grandparents

Nothing had change for us during the past 4 months. Wife and I see our grandkids 5X per week. We hug,play with them and kiss them. They need to be fed and their diapers need to be changed. There is no way we can avoid it.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Nothing had change for us during the past 4 months. Wife and I see our grandkids 5X per week. We hug,play with them and kiss them. They need to be fed and their diapers need to be changed. There is no way we can avoid it.

Im very happy for you all DF

I would think you would be a younger, spritly and quite fit and healthy grandpa

 

[AV_]

@Buttercookies What does the medical personnel working with infectious diseases do usually? [What a job!] Is it different for you?

I assume nannies are as scared as their clients are.