With the Omicron variant spreading rapidly across the US today, it becomes more important than ever to understand the precautions we are taking in our day-to-day lives to limit the spread of COVID. I also find it interesting to differentiate between the treatment being given to adults versus the treatment being administered to children.

General PCR Testing

It seems natural to being with PCR testing, as this is a measure many of us have grown accustomed to. Cleveland Clinic provides a good synopsis of PCR testing, linked here. PCR stands for polymerase chain reaction, and the test is designed test genetic material from a virus (or other “specific organism”). If a patient had the virus when the test was taken, the test will return positive. It will also return positive if fragments of the virus are present in a patient’s sample, even if the patient no longer has the virus. However, that description corresponds to general PCR testing. There is a specific process for COVID PCR testing.

COVID PCR Testing

There are a couple distinctions for a COVID PCR test versus a general PCR test. A COVID PCR test targets the patient’s upper respiratory system, to search for genetic material containing SARS-CoV-2. The PCR testing method is used to duplicate RNA material from the sample and turn it into DNA, which is then copied until SARS-CoV-2 could be detected. Since February 2020, PCR tests have been the standard method to test patients for COVID-19. A positive test result means that there is a high probability that patient has SARS-CoV-2. If they are not exhibiting symptoms, they are asymptomatic. If they are exhibiting symptoms, their infection is called COVID-19. A negative test result means that there is a high likelihood the patient did not have SARS-CoV-2 at the time of the test. However, the patient may have contracted SARS-CoV-2 after getting tested, or could have had COVID-19 for a week before the test was administered, which would lead to the test falsely producing a negative result. There is an alternate method to getting tested for COVID-19, called an antigen test, that can be read about here.

PCR Testing in Children

COVID-19 shares many of the same symptoms of general respiratory illnesses, such as the flu, it can be difficult for parents to determine which illness their child has. Paulo R. Pina, MD, MPH, and pediatric medical director at the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone says that the safest way for parents to protect their children is to get them tested. COVID-19 symptoms generally begin 2-14 days after exposure, and are most common within the 5-7 day range. In children, the most common symptoms are fever and cough — compared to adults, where the most common symptoms are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. A PCR test is performed on children, like with adults, using a nasal swab or saliva sample. PCR tests search for the virus, unlike antigen tests which look for the body’s immune response to the virus. In this way, PCR tests can detect COVID-19 at multiple stages of infection — and so if a positive test result is returned, it does not mean the child necessarily has COVID; it just means the child has been exposed to COVID. All of the information in this section can be found here. Interestingly, as I’ll connect this to my point in the first paragraph, there is no visible difference in the procedure for COVID testing in children and COVID testing in adults, other than possibly the location where they are tested (children are generally recommended to test with their school or a primary healthcare provider).

COVID Testing in Public Schools

On January 3rd, 2022 Seattle Public Schools cancelled classes to offer rapid COVID testing to staff and students. In an article by The Seattle Times, written by Jenn Smith and Dahlia Bazzaz, it was recorded that some many people turned out to get tested that some were turned away. Seattle Public Schools received 60,000 rapid tests from the Washingston State Health Department to use at clinics established at middle schools throughout the city. Districts nearby, including Everett and Renton, are scheduled to receive shipments of rapid tests as well, although their testing procedures do not look to be as widespread as Seattle’s operation. The COVID tests were provided by Washington’s Learn to Return Program, a program with federal funding that is helping schools perform free COVID testing (including PCR, rapid antigen, and pooled testing).

It is hopeful that so many people wanted to get COVID tested to limit the spread of the virus, as said by Megan Haddock, a parent of children going to school in Seattle. However, on a less positive note, staff shortages have put a strain on the education system as more and more staff are calling in sick. This fall, some schools even closed temporarily because there were not enough staff available to continue operation. Highline Public Schools experienced 136 staff absences on Jan. 3rd, and was able to fill 76 of those roles — leaving them 60 staff members short. As the omicron variant continues to surge, schools are bracing themselves for continued staff shortages for the duration of the winter months.