The Washington Post told the story of one teacher in another state who took off her mask to read a story to the class, and within a few days, half of her elementary class was infected with the delta variant.  Could it happen in Texas?

Parents, if you're on the fence about getting the COVID vaccine, does the idea of cocooning the kids have an impact?  Kids 11 and under can't be vaccinated, but parents can be, and it's with that in mind that some health managers are asking parents to get vaccinated to protect the kids.  If we can block it the kids can't catch it.  I know, I know, there are so many variables.  Kids could catch the virus at school or the park or the store too, but the thinking is, if parents are vaccinated it can reduce the risk for the kids.

COVID-19 cases have increased a bunch over the past few weeks at schools, and WFAA in Dallas used the phrase "record rate" when it referred to the increase in the number of infections at childcare centers.  There are hundreds of new cases in kids and employees at childcare centers across Texas, and the Washington Post said the surge in the Delta variant is getting much of the blame.

RSV cases are increasing in East Texas too, according to KTLV, and that's another respiratory illness that pops up in 3 million kids every year.  Good grief! It can be hard to tell the difference between COVID and RSV, and either way, kids will need some time to recover.

The Mayo Clinic shared a bit of good news, and that is if kids do get COVID, it doesn't usually make them super sick or land them in the hospital.  They usually have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.  I have a friend whose 11-year old son has COVID right now, and he just feels tired.  Another friend's 9-year old twin boys just recovered from COVID and they had a slight cough and tested negative after five days.

Smith County just opened a Regional Infusion Center at UT Health North Campus in Tyler at 11937 U.S. Highway 271 that's open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.  It's another option for treatment besides the hospital, to keep that from being overloaded. Hopefully, you're feeling like a million bucks and the kids are too.  It's there just in case.

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