COVID challenges for college kids returning home
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NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) — As college students prepare to make a few trips home for the holidays, extra precautions should be taken to protect loved ones at home.
Experts say students attending class in-person may be at higher risk of infection, and they may not even know it.
“Anyone who’s in full-time school, that’s going to be a bit higher risk,” said Dr. Joseph Khabbaza with the Cleveland Clinic. “I think part of the challenges of school-age children and young adults in college is that they tend to be ones that are going to be minimally symptomatic if they are infected with COVID-19.”
As students are arriving home from school, doctors are urging young people not to be dismissive of symptoms that feel like the common cold.
Pay particular attention to fever, cough, and body aches, and when symptoms are present, limit time with family members or reconsider your plans.
If your kids aren’t home yet from college, doctors suggest they get a COVID test in the days before they arrive home.
And for those students that haven’t had a chance to get tested — or haven’t been able to quarantine — it might be a good idea to suggest they wear a mask inside the home.
“That’s a tough sell to wear a mask at family gatherings, or perhaps in your own home, but it’s really an extra precaution to protect the most vulnerable,” Dr. Khabbaza said.
Dr. Khabbaza also suggests college students have a separate bedroom and bathroom while home for break, to further reduce unknown transmission of the virus.
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