COVID is a virus that has been spreading all over the country for a few years. The virus and its subsequential effects caused many people to die. COVID-19 also caused a lot of parents to be less attentive and more irresponsible than usual.
Be in the Know
Parents should make sure they are aware of the latest news. Don’t assume that someone else will talk about an outbreak, or that one’s children will tell their parents about it. Also, don’t assume that other people’s children will tell their parents about an outbreak either.
If people suspect their child has been infected with COVID, it’s important that you do not go to work or leave the house. COVID is spread through direct human contact, so even if their child doesn’t seem sick at first and says they feel fine, they could still be spreading the virus to others in their community. If this happens, it will be nearly impossible for officials to fully contain and track the virus.
Parents Can’t Remember
Some people have reported being infected by a family member who was unaware of their infection status at the time of transmission.
There are many ways that COVID can spread from person to person, but these instances show how easy it can be for one person’s actions (or lack thereof) to put an entire household at risk of contracting this virus.
Some parents claim that their child may have been infected by someone else and not them. They may be trying to protect their child from the stigma of being infected.
Recent Study
A recent study shows that some parents lied about their children having contracted COVID-19. Nor did some follow quarantine or testing guidelines. These behaviors could have led to the spread of the virus.
Researchers gathered data from both the United States and the United Kingdom for this study. Over 1.1 million individuals in the U.S. lost their lives due to COVID-19 complications. The World Health Organization states that 6.8 million died worldwide. Furthermore, the U.S. reported over 103 million cases with 758 million COVID infections worldwide.
In December 2021, JAMA Network Open sent out a survey about the pandemic. It was answered by 580 parents with youth under the age of 18 in the household. The survey showed that parents chose to hide the fact their children had COVID-19 “to exercise personal freedom as a parent.” They also stated they wanted their children to return to “a normal life.”
Several shared they had been dishonest about their youth’s vaccination status and allowed them to participate in activities. A few cited that they did not want their child to miss school with a few saying they didn’t want to miss work because of it.
What the Study Showed
The pandemic took a lot out of everyone. It also “created tremendous stress for all of us, but especially for parents,” said Andrea Gurmankin Levy, a professor of psychology at Middlesex Community College in Connecticut and one of the lead authors of the report.
While some of the parents’ behaviors are concerning and serious, it shows they had a real concern over the lack of resources available to them. Gurmankin Levy added, “We need to do a better job of providing support mechanisms like paid sick leave for family illness so that parents don’t feel like their only options are to be dishonest about their child having COVID-19 or having their child break quarantine rules.”
Helpful Advice
This is a reminder to be careful with one’s own health, as well as that of their child, in the days after an outbreak of a new disease.
People should wash their hands often. Avoid crowds, since there are more germs in them than you would think.
Don’t share food with others or let them eat from one’s plate (or cup). This can pass on any infections they may have picked up while they were out and about.
Hopefully, this information will help people make better decisions about their kids’ health and safety in the future. Remember that it’s always better to be safe than sorry, so if people see any signs of COVID or any other virus, get checked out right away.
By Sheena Robertson
Sources:
The Washington Post: Some parents misled others about their kids’ covid status, study finds
StudyFInds: COVID parenting lies: Over 1 in 4 have misled others about their child’s health
The University of Utah: 1 in 4 parents lied about their kids’ COVID-19 status
Top and Featured Image by Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Troth Courtesy of U.S. Army Garrison Casey‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of hp light‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
