Camp COVID
When children's summer camps are derailed by mild illness
I was just finishing up in the camp health center when I got the dreaded text: “[An administrator] just pulled me out of activities to retest.” My daughter, a 17 year old residential camp counselor who was vaccinated and boosted, was positive on the weekly counselor COVID testing. Her symptoms? Mild congestion and fatigue, the same symptoms she has had 2 weeks into camp for the past 12 years. I was at camp as a volunteer physician for the week and my throat was a little scratchy so I also tested - positive, despite a negative pre-camp entry test 5 days prior.
Per camp protocol, my daughter and I had to leave camp for 5 days. As did 9 other counselors and campers who tested positive on the asymptomatic screening tests that day. The camp COVID protocols at that time stated that all close contact who were not fully vaccinated (meaning boosted for counselors and 2 doses of mRNA vaccine for campers) also had to leave camp for 5 days. So my daughter’s positive meant another 2 counselors and 3 campers were departing that afternoon. Campers and counselors come from across the country so many parents were scrambling to rearrange their schedules so they could get their children; a scramble that would be repeated 5 days later when the campers could come back.
My daughter’s biggest concern with COVID was the impact of her absence on her campers, some of whom get stressed when talking about COVID. Her second concern was getting back to camp as early as possible post-quarantine as she was scheduled to be the only counselor in the cabin that day. My stress came from the fact that I was one third of the physician staff covering a camp population of over 800 people, which meant more work for the 2 doctors who remained.
While these children are privileged to go to sleep-away camp, missed work and patching together childcare is happening all across the country as day camps, preschools, and summer programs continue to adhere to the punitive covid mitigation measures suggested by the CDC. The past 2 years have been devastating for our children. Learning disruption, increasing mental health issues, and the loss of social skills are well-documented.
Summer is THE time for children to play with their friends and have new experiences. The chaos and uncertainty of continued testing and quarantine is disruptive to children who desperately need routine and stability. It is also negatively impacting parents, who need to work to provide for their families.
Yes, hospitalizations are rising but these numbers are being driven by the over 70 age group. In addition, hospitalization numbers often do not separate “with” versus “for” COVID, an important difference when trying to assess severity of disease. A look at the Massachusetts dashboard shows that less than 30% of covid hospitalizations are for a primary COVID diagnosis; the remainder are incidental positives picked up on hospital screening. What about MIS-C, the pediatric COVID complication? Data from the CDC shows that cases of MIS-C are becoming less and less common. Long COVID? In children, it has been found to be rare and usually resolves within a few months.
My daughter and her campers are now reunited. The COVID infections amongst the counselors and campers have been similar to the usual summer colds. This is in stark contrast to the GI illness and influenza that ran through the boy’s camp, causing over 60 campers and counselors per day to be admitted to the health center for vomiting or fever. Camp has changed its policy to allow all exposed campers and counselors, regardless of vaccination status, to remain at camp with masking and follow up testing. While this is a step in the right direction, a complete return to normalcy for our children means treating COVID like other endemic respiratory viruses. Vaccines are now available for everyone over the age of 6 months and the majority of children already have protection against serious disease through vaccination and/or prior infection. Based on the current covid landscape, a group of scientists, physicians, and parent advocacy organizations have called upon the CDC and the White House to join our peer nations and treat COVID like other endemic respiratory viruses: Test only elderly or high-risk people, return to work or school when afebrile and symptoms are resolving, encourage but not mandate vaccines based on individual health needs.
It is beyond time for our children, and their families, to reclaim their childhood, unfettered by the bureaucratic shackles that are our current CDC policies.
Eliza Holland, MD is a pediatric hospitalist in Charlottsville, Virginia. She is a member of Urgency of Normal, a collaborative group of doctors and scientists advocating for children’s well being and an urgent return to fully normal life and schooling.