Health and Wellness Update
September 17th, 2021
Good Afternoon Zion District 6 Staff,
A religious or medical exemption for the vaccine is NOT an exemption to get Covid tested weekly. The religious exemption will not be accepted in lieu of getting tested weekly. You must choose to either be vaccinated or test weekly in the school building.
Outside testing is allowed as long as we get the results each week and have them on file that you are negative. Please let your building's nurse know if you are electing to get tested weekly at an alternative site and be sure to submit testing results to your building's nurse and I by Friday of each week.
Thank you for all you continue to do during this time. Thank you for putting the student's safety and education first and foremost.
Student Immunization Guidance
The Covid vaccine is not required for children at this time and won't be included in exclusion guidance. Children under the age of 12 are not eligible for the Covid vaccine.
BinaxNOW Test Information
The BinaxNOW test is created by Abbott Labs. It is a Rapid Antigen Test. Results are ready within 15 minutes.
The test detects a specific protein that is only in the Covid-19 virus.
A small sterilized cotton swab is only put slightly up into both nostrils, where it is swirled 5 times on each side.
It is painless, although some have described it as "tickly" or "uncomfortable."
The false negative is roughly at 5% and the false positive is roughly at 2%.
The accuracy rates are high. It only takes 1-2 minutes to participate in the testing and only 20 seconds or so of actual test administration.
LobbyGuard
This helps the nursing staff with contact tracing in regards to Covid-19.
If you are at other buildings throughout the day, it is important to always sign in and out.
Stay Home When Sick
We have been keeping data on the new Covid variant over the past month. If someone is not asymptomatic, it is usually flu/cold like symptoms such as sore throat, cough, and fever.
Please email your buildings nurse and your supervisor, stay home and get Covid tested if you are symptomatic.
COVID FAQ'S REPOST
Where do you receive your Covid guidance?
A. We receive directives from Illinois Department of Health and Lake County Health Department with the specific guidance on what constitutes a Covid quarantine. We are in constant contact with health departments to update us on changes in the guidance. We communicate via zoom, phone conference and email to make sure we are receiving all up to date information in real time. Only the guidance that is given to us by the health department can determine a quarantine.
Q. I am a contact to a close contact to a Covid positive case, what do I do?
A. There have been some concerns about tertiary contacts. If a student is a close contact to a positive person, he or she's siblings are considered a third party contact or tertiary contact. The siblings do NOT have to quarantine UNLESS they become symptomatic or the close contact sibling becomes symptomatic. Some parents want to quarantine tertiary contacts, but the county guidance doesn't recommend this. If you are a staff member who is a contact to a close contact, you do not have quarantine. Quarantine only applies to a Covid positive individual or a close contact to a Covid positive individual. Close contact is being within 3 feet for more than 15 minutes to a Covid positive person WHILE MASKED, or 6 feet for more than 15 minutes while UNMASKED. (i.e. while eating)
Q. I am vaccinated, how does the guidance affect me?
A. The health department guidance doesn't recommend vaccinated people to quarantine after a close contact. This has been a concern because of reports of vaccinated individuals contracting Covid. We understand taking the safest route for your family. If you want to quarantine above and beyond the health department guidelines, that is you choice, but it is not in line with the health department quarantine requirements at this time. You can choose to be Covid tested by your building's nurse on day 3, 4, or 5 after exposure the Covid positive individual.
District 6 Covid Protocols
- 3-feet social distancing recommended at meetings, in work spaces, and in the break rooms.
- Universal Mask Wearing among all staff in district buildings at all times, despite vaccination status. The only time you can de-mask is if you are in an office alone with the door closed, eating or drinking, or outside.
- If you are an unvaccinated close contact to a Covid positive person at work and opted into the BinaxNOW testing program, you can continue to work and receive a Covid test by your buildings staff designated nurse on Day 1, 3, 5, and 7 as long as you remain symptom free.
- If you are an unvaccinated close contact to a Covid positive person at home you must complete a 10 day quarantine.
- Vaccinated individuals do not need to quarantine if a close contact.
- If you contract Covid, please isolate for 10 days from the start of your symptoms OR if asymptomatic, your test date. Please let your building administrator and the district nurse know right away so contact tracing can be initiated.
- If you OR any of your household members are symptomatic with any of the below symptoms, you must stay home. The symptomatic person must either get a negative Covid test result or a doctors note clearing them of Covid, regardless of vaccination status. (The district requires a Covid test result or doctors note within 3 days time unless there is an exceptional reason. Please submit to HR and to your buildings designated staff nurse) Please DO NOT come to work with any of the below symptoms.
o Fever over 100.4
o Cough
o Shortness of Breath
o New Loss of Taste or Smell
o Body Aches
o Sore Throat
o Vomiting
o Diarrhea
Please contact HR with any leave questions.
Natalee Murray, BSN RN
Email: nmurray@zion6.org
Website: www.zion6.org
Location: 2800 29th Street, Zion, IL, USA
Phone: 847-505-8979