Good afternoon Springfield School District families,
This is Dr. McLaughlin, your Superintendent of Schools. I once again want to apologize for interrupting the break, but I have additional new information from the state of Vermont that I want to make sure that you are aware of as we head into New Year celebrations.
Today, I was notified that the Department of Health is adjusting its quarantine guidance for those who test positive for COVID-19 and those who are close contacts of someone who tests positive for COVID-19. The new guidance is changing based on the recent change in guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Under the new guidance, if you test positive on a PCR, LAMP, or Antigen test you now need to do the following: https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/symptoms-sickness/what-do-if-you-test-positive-covid-19
(Below is copied from the linked page.)
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What to Do if You Test Positive for COVID-19
If you test positive for COVID-19, isolate at home away from other people and begin reaching out to close contacts immediately. The Health Department is conducting contact tracing for people at higher risk to better protect Vermonters against the most severe effects of COVID-19. You may not receive a phone call from a contact tracer, but you still need to follow the steps below to stop further spread.
People with COVID-19 can spread the virus to others. If you test positive for COVID-19, even if you are vaccinated or never have symptoms, isolate as soon as you receive your test result and then notify your close contacts. Isolation means staying home and away from other people – including the people who live with you – for at least 5 days. The state of Vermont has adopted the CDC guidance on isolation and quarantine with additional guidance around recommended testing.
This guidance does not apply to healthcare workers. Sector specific guidance will follow.
Start following the guidance below on how to isolate and notify your close contacts as soon as you receive your positive test result. You may get a call from the Health Department. If you have questions about this guidance, or if you miss a call from the Health Department, call us at 802-863-7240.
Tell your health care provider that you tested positive for COVID-19. They may have guidance for you to take care of your own health. If you need to see a health care provider but don’t have one, call 2-1-1 to be connected to care, or contact the nearest federally qualified health center or one of Vermont's free & referral clinics.
If you are over 65 or have a high-risk medical condition and have mild to moderate symptoms, reach out to your health care provider to ask about COVID-19 therapeutics — as soon you get your positive test result. These treatments can reduce the chance of being hospitalized. You can also get a pulse oximeter from the Health Department by calling 802-863-7240. This small device that clips onto your fingertip measures your pulse and oxygen levels and can help you know how sick you are.
Report your self-test results to the Health Department. You can do that by choosing the option to automatically provide your results to your local health department or by filling out the Vermont COVID-19 Self-Test Result Reporting Form.
Check the Follow-up Testing Guide to understand next steps based on your test results, whether or not you have symptoms and the type of test you took. See this resource in multiple languages here:
العربية | မြန်မာစာ | Français | Kirundi | नेपाली | Soomaali | Español | Swahili | Tiếng Việt
If you are caring for someone who tested positive, find out how to care for someone sick at home (CDC).
NOTIFY YOUR CLOSE CONTACTS
It’s important for people in close contact with you to know that they may have been exposed to COVID-19. Especially with the more contagious variants, the sooner people know they may have come into contact with the virus, the sooner they can take steps to protect themselves and to prevent further spread in the community.
Step 1 – Identify your infectious period.
The infectious period is when you can spread the virus to others. It starts the two days before you noticed any symptoms, and it continues until your isolation period ends. If you don’t have symptoms, your infectious period starts the two days before the day you got tested and continues for 10 days (if you remain without symptoms).
Step 2 – Make a list of your close contacts.
Step 3 – Notify your close contacts that they may have been exposed to COVID-19.
ISOLATE AT HOME
Most people with mild illness can recover at home. While there is no specific treatment, you should get plenty of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and take fever-reducing medication if needed.
- Stay home, except to get medical care or if you feel unsafe at home. Wear a mask if you need to leave home.
- Call ahead before visiting your health care provider or emergency department and tell them you are isolating because you have COVID-19.
- As much as possible, stay in a specific room in your home and use a separate bathroom.
- Stay at least 6 feet (or 2 meters) away from others in your home at all times.
- Wear a mask if you’re in any room with other people or pets, unless you have trouble breathing.
- Don’t share household items.
- Monitor your blood oxygen levels. People diagnosed with COVID-19 may have below-normal levels of oxygen in their blood before they feel short of breath. Finding low oxygen levels early can help you know to seek medical care sooner. This could make the disease less severe.
- If you cannot avoid close contact with someone you take care of (for example, your children), then they should quarantine while you are sick. They should also quarantine after you have recovered. Learn more about close contacts and quarantine.
How to do daily cleaning and washing
- Clean and disinfect surfaces in your separate room and bathroom. Have someone else clean the other areas of your home if you live with others.
- Thoroughly wash household items, like utensils, after using them.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
When to get medical care immediately
Get medical care immediately if you have trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, or changes in color on your lips, gums, face, around the eyes, or nails. Tell your health care provider or 9-1-1 that you have COVID-19 and are isolating at home.
END ISOLATION ONCE YOU HAVE RECOVERED
If you test positive, regardless of vaccination status, everyone must isolate - or stay home - for 5 days.
- You may end isolation if:
- you have no symptoms or your symptoms have improved and you feel better after 5 days
- AND you have had no fever for at least 24 hours without the use of medicine that reduces fevers
- AND you wear a mask around others through day 10.
- AND, when possible, it is recommended that you have two negative antigen tests performed at least 24 hours apart beginning no earlier than day 4
- Notify your close contacts that you have tested positive.
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Here is the link to this Health Department Guidance on Close Contacts that I have copies in part below: https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/symptoms-sickness/what-do-if-you-are-close-contact
What to Do if You Are a Close Contact
When someone tests positive for COVID-19, it is important to notify their close contacts to help keep COVID-19 from spreading. Close contact means being within 6 feet, for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, of someone with COVID-19 during their infectious period.
The infectious period is when the person with COVID-19 is contagious. It starts two days before symptoms began and continues until they are recovered. For people who haven't had symptoms, the infectious period starts two days before they had a positive test.
Examples of close contact
Close contact does not mean being more than 6 feet away in the same indoor environment for a short period of time, walking by, or briefly being in the same room.
If you are a close contact or think you had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, immediately begin following the testing and quarantine guidance below. This guidance does not apply to health care workers. You may find out that you are a close contact from the person who tested positive, the Health Department (a text message from 89361 or a phone call), your employer, your college, your child’s school, your health care provider, or another place you went to recently.
This guidance does not apply to healthcare workers. Sector specific guidance will follow.
HOW DO I QUARANTINE?
Here’s what you need to do to quarantine:
- Day 0 is the day you were last in contact with the person who has COVID-19.
- Stay home, except to get tested, for urgent medical care, or if you feel unsafe at home. Wear a mask if you need to leave home.
- You can go outside to do outdoor activities, like exercise or recreation, if you: don’t have any symptoms, are alone in an uncrowded place, and can stay at least 6 feet away from others at all times. If you are not alone, you should wear a mask at all times.
- Call ahead before visiting a health care provider or emergency department and tell them you are quarantining because you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19.
- Watch for symptoms, even if mild, of cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.
- If possible, stay in a specific room in your home and use a separate bathroom.
- Stay at least 6 feet away from others in your home at all times.
- Wear a mask if you’re in any room with other people, unless you have trouble breathing.
- Don’t share household items.
How to do daily cleaning and washing
- Clean and disinfect surfaces in your home. As much as possible, if you are staying in a separate room and using a separate bathroom, clean them yourself, and have someone else clean the other areas of the home.
- Thoroughly wash household items, like utensils, after using them.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
If at any point you start to feel sick or you develop symptoms
- Call your health care provider right away. Let them know you are quarantining at home because you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19. If you don't have a health care provider, call 2-1-1 to be connected to care, or contact the nearest federally qualified health center or one of Vermont's free & referral clinics.
- If you’re having a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to the hospital.
- If you have mild illness, treat your symptoms at home by getting plenty of rest, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking fever-reducing medication if needed.
- If you test positive for COVID-19, begin isolation immediately. Find out what to do if you test positive for COVID-19.
When to get medical care immediately
Get medical care immediately if you have trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, or changes in color on your lips, gums, face, around the eyes, or nails. Tell your health care provider or 9-1-1 that you are quarantining at home because you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19.
***************This change in guidance is likely to get more detailed in the next several days, and we will do our best to keep you updated. One of the things we are waiting for more information about is whether the Test-to-Stay program will be affected by the change. Depending on the answer to that question, we hope to have a better understanding of testing options going forward.
I wanted to close with one more thing. This change in guidance is a clear shift away from institutions like the school being responsible for part of our tracing and mitigating. It is also happening a day after Vermont reported 1,352 new cases and a positivity rate of 7.3%. Therefore, as a school community, we are really counting on our individual families and staff to do their part to keep us all safe.
Thank you and have a happy new year.