JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Ten days after the Labor Day holiday and there’s been no real spike in the number of percent positive COVID-19 cases among children.
However, Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Mohammed Reza says it's still too soon to see the effects, which he anticipates will happen within two to five weeks.
“It is falsely reassuring that the rates have not gone up since Labor Day and schools reopened. It's false because rates of infection that are being transmitted now will not show up for another four to six weeks,” Dr. Reza explained.
Statewide, the percent of children 18 and younger who have tested positive for COVID-19 has remained around 14% since the start of the school year.
Dr. Reza expects to see that increase into the winter months and offers this perspective as to why he kept his kids from returning to school.
"There's 100 kids in the classroom or in a school, then 14 of them are positive. That's kind of what I take away in that data point,” he said. He’s an advocate for virtual school.
The steady percent positive is another reason why he's advocating for everyone to get a flu shot.
"With COVID as well, it's just going to be a double whammy to our medical system. As many people as possible should be getting the flu vaccine this year,” Dr. Reza said.