Fighting Omicron
To our TPG family,
Omicron has hit our community and we are receiving multiple calls in regard to isolation, quarantine and treatment. The CDC recommends that a child with Covid isolate for 10 days from school. We realize this is different than the CDC guidelines for adults and may be different than the practice at your school. Children are unable to fully mask (primarily at lunch time) and therefore can’t follow the 5-day isolation then 5 days masked guideline and are therefore potentially spreading the virus and infecting their peers. For clarification purposes, the first day of symptoms is day 0. Isolation guidelines (if you have Covid) are not impacted by your vaccination status. We recognize this is a hard thing to do, unfortunately nothing has been easy in regard to Covid.
If your child has been exposed to Covid and is vaccinated they should remain masked for 10 days and closely monitored for symptoms. If your child has been exposed to Covid and is unvaccinated they should quarantine at home for 5 days (again, day of exposure is day 0) and then full-time mask for 5 days, while being closely monitored for symptoms.
There is currently no treatment for Covid as an outpatient that is approved and available for children. There is a monoclonal antibody however it is not highly effective against Omicron and is not currently available in Oklahoma. If your child is usually healthy and develops Covid please treat like any other virus—push fluids, let them rest, and fever control—only treat isolation and quarantine more seriously than a common cold to limit spread. If your child is at higher risk due to other medical problems or develops progressive symptoms—ear pain, difficulty breathing, signs of dehydration—then please contact us so we can assist your child. Please be aware emergency rooms are overwhelmed and overflowing.
We thank you for your patience, we are trying to assist our patients to the best of our ability however Covid has impacted our staffing during a time we are receiving record numbers of phone calls. We are overwhelmed but are trying to do our best to provide the best care for your child. Please consider doing your part: Get Vaccinated. Get Boosted. Wear Your Mask. Socially Distance. Stay Home if You’re Sick. With perseverance, patience, and kindness, together we will beat this pandemic.
Here is a link to the CDC guidelines for children attending school:
