NYC parents worry about sending their kids to school in the fall
NEW YORK - Many parents have one question in mind, "Should I send my child back to school in the fall?"
Yuverky Vargas is one of those parents. The Bronx mother says she takes the coronavirus pandemic very seriously. Her 10-year-old daughter Arianny is asthmatic, putting her at greater risk of developing serious complications if she gets infected.
"My concern is that kids going to school right now is not very safe," said Vargas.
SOMOS Community Care pediatric doctors held a panel discussion on Wednesday morning in the Bronx. They took questions from concerned parents.
Dr. Denise Núñez, a pediatric critical care physician, says there is a lot of fear among parents. She recently conducted a survey asking 4,000 households if they would send their child to school in the fall, 94% said they are very scared and want to leave their kids at home.
"They are very scared, especially knowing we were the ones that had the highest mortality, the highest rate of infection," Núñez said.
New York City pediatricians are looking at data and are working closely with the Department of Health and the Department of Education, Núñez said. The decision whether to send your child to school will come down to the child's health and their situation at home, she added.
"It comes to your condition," Núñez said. "If you have parents who are elderly, grandparents who are sick at home you have to consider."
The doctor said she is urging every parent to reach out to their pediatrician to discuss their child's health.
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