Keep Yourself (and others!) Healthy at School

Keep Yourself (and others!) Healthy At School

Joe Carter

August 19, 2021

Kossuth Regional Health Center has provided us with these helpful tips to keep everyone healthy at school this year.

  • STAY HOME IF YOU ARE ILL:  Please stay home and do not come to school or visit other public places if you have a fever, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, congestion, sore throat, or a loss of taste and/or smell.
  • IF YOU ARE ILL, GET TESTED:  Getting tested for COVID-19 is easy. Call the Kossuth Regional Health Center clinic to schedule a test at 515-295-2451 or contact Community Health of KRHC for a take home COVID-19 test at 515-295-4430.
  • RETURNING TO SCHOOL AFTER ILLNESS:  If you are ill, but test negative for COVID-19, you may return to school when you have been fever free and vomit free for 24 hours.
  • WHAT IF YOU TEST POSITIVE?:  Individuals who test positive for COVID-10 must remain at home for 10 days, starting the day symptoms began.  After those 10 days, you must be fever free for 24 hours, and all other symptoms must be improving to return to school.  (This excludes the loss of taste and smell, which can last for weeks and sometimes even months).  If you test positive the school would appreciate being informed of this.  Although formal contact tracing is no longer being done, this allows others you may have come into contact with to watch for symptoms and take any necessary precautions.
  • WHO NEEDS TO QUARANTINE?:  If you are exposed to COVID-19 at school, daycare, or in the community you do not need to quarantine, but do watch for symptoms.  If you are exposed to COVID-19 by a member of your household, you DO need to quarantine for 10 days. This can be shortened to 7 days if you obtain a negative test on day 5, 6 or 7 after you last exposure.  However, if you are vaccinated, you do NOT need to quarantine due to household exposure.
  • GET VACCINATED: The COVID-19 vaccine is free and readily available, even for students of a certain age.  The Pfizer vaccine is approved for people age 12 and older and has been proven to be safe and effective.  Vaccine is available on a walk-in basis on Mondays and Thursdays in KRHC Community Health and at the Algona Clinic if you come for a scheduled appointment.
  • PRACTICE HEALTHY HABITS:  Be sure to wash your hands often, with soap. Keep a mask handy for whenever you choose to wear one, such as in large groups or indoor settings when social distancing is difficult.
  • THANKS FOR DOING YOUR PART!  Together we can make a difference in the health of our school and community.