The County of Cape May Department of Health is reporting 4 new positive cases among County residents. 

Total positive cases of COVID-19 infection in Cape May County is now 1431 including 92 deaths.  

Screening K-12 Students for Symptoms of COVID-19: Limitations and Considerations

The guidance detailed here is intended only for students in K-12 school settings. The number of reported children with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection who experience symptoms, the types of symptoms they experience, and the severity of those symptoms differs from adults. Additionally, the consequences of excluding students from essential educational and developmental experiences differ from excluding individuals from other settings. Therefore, the considerations described here are different than those for other settings and populations. 

We learn more about COVID-19 every day, and as more information becomes available, CDC will continue to update and share information. As our knowledge and understanding of COVID-19 evolves, this guidance may change. However, based on the best available evidence at this time:

• CDC does not currently recommend universal symptom screenings (screening all students grades K-12) be conducted by schools. 
• Parents or caregivers should be strongly encouraged to monitor their children for signs of infectious illness every day.
• Students who are sick should not attend school in-person. 

COVID-19 is a newly identified disease caused by the virus, SARS-CoV-2. Scientists are still learning about how it spreads, how it impacts children, and what role children may play in its spread. Limited data about COVID-19 in children suggest that children are less likely to get COVID-19 than adults, and if they do contract COVID-19, they generally have less serious illness than adults. While uncommon, deaths and rare illness such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) may still occur.

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of reported symptoms – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms can include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms and children and youth with SARS-CoV-2 infection may experience any, all, or none of these symptoms. (See Symptoms of Coronavirus for more information).

Given the wide range of symptoms and the fact that some people with SARS-CoV-2 infection (the virus that causes COVID-19) are asymptomatic, there are limitations to symptom screening conducted by schools for the identification of COVID-19.

• Students who are English Language Learners.
• Ensure that students and staff are aware of the correct use of masks, including wearing masks over the nose and mouth and securely around the face.
• Ensure that students, teachers and staff are aware that they should wash or sanitize their hands (using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol) before putting on a mask.
• Ensure that students, teachers, and staff are aware that they should not touch their masks while wearing them and, if they do, they should wash their hands before and after with soap and water or sanitize hands (using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol).
• Ensure teachers and staff are aware that they should wash or sanitize hands (using a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol) before and after helping a student put on or adjust a mask.
• Ensure that all students and staff are aware that masks should not be worn if they are wet. A wet mask may make it difficult to breathe.
• Ensure that all students and staff are aware that they should never share or swap masks.
• Students’ masks should be clearly identified with their names or initials, to avoid confusion or swapping. Students’ masks may also be labeled to indicate top/bottom and front/back.
• Masks should be stored in a space designated for each student that is separate from others when not being worn (e.g., in individually labeled containers or bags, personal lockers, or cubbies).
• Masks should be washed after every day of use and/or before being used again, or if visibly soiled.
• Students and schools should consider having additional masks available for students, teachers, and staff in case a back-up mask is needed during the day and to facilitate every day washing of masks.

Stay up to date on the current situation as it evolve. Some reliable sources are New Jersey Poison Information and Education System Hotline at 211 or 1-800-962-1253, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov, World Health Organization at www.who.int, New Jersey Department of Health at COVID19.nj.gov. For additional information visit Cape May County Department of Health at www.cmchealth.net and also like us on Facebook.