If a vaccinated child is highly exposed to COVID-19 at home but is still healthy, parents might consider keeping that child home as a measure to protect others. At lunchtime the children take off their masks. But this measure would go beyond federal recommendations, and only one expert I spoke with recommended it.
Should I try to reduce exposure at home, even if it seems futile?
As parents know, the term “close contact” takes on an entirely different meaning when it comes to young children, who seem to have an uncanny knack for sneezing in your face. Still, experts agreed that it’s still worth reducing your exposure to other people’s illnesses.
There’s a small window of time when that’s particularly important, between exposure and when the immune system starts to fully react.
Parents have to take care of children, and some siblings just can’t keep themselves apart. Still, there are steps you can take. Whoever gets sick first should be in her own room, if possible. Put a HEPA filter in there, if you have one. Try to get the sick person to stay there for meals. Wear high-quality face coverings when family members are together.
Open the windows. Put another HEPA filter, if you have two, where other family members hang out. Another pro tip: Use a hygrometer or humidifier to measure the level of humidity in the air, which should be between 40 percent and 60 percent, as this level helps stop aerosol transmission, Pirzada said.
Use common sense. Once air filters are up and windows open and masks on whenever possible, trying more precautions might seem overkill if a young child is sick. “If my child was sick, my natural instinct would be to take care of him,” said Linsey Marr, a leading expert on viral transmission. “I do see myself giving up and cuddling with my son, trusting only in the vaccine and my good health so as not to get seriously ill”
–
