A parent ask me recently, “How does it help if my child is the only one wearing a mask in the classroom?”
 
According to the experts, yes, a mask does help keep your child safe, even if they are the only person wearing a mask in the entire classroom or school. 
 
As Dr. Jaimie Meyer, an infectious disease physician at Yale Medicine, explains,
 
“It’s true that masks are most effective when everyone around you is wearing them. If someone is infected with COVID-19 and doesn’t know it, their mask is like putting a thumb over the end of a hose, preventing the virus from spewing….”
 
Dr. Meyer goes on to say that,
 
“…even when that infected person is maskless, anyone around them who has their own mask reduces the chance that those droplets will find their way to their respiratory system and sicken them.”
 
Dr. Meyer also states that,
 
“The strongest protection against the disease remains vaccination… Pfizer-BionTech shots were 85 percent effective ….   But masking may be the next most important thing you can do….  You should keep your mask at the ready because of what’s happening today, but also for what might happen tomorrow….  The mask helps you stay ahead of this disease.”
  
Dr. Meyer is not the only person saying that wearing a mask will help protect your child from COVID.  Linsey Marr, a Virginia Tech engineering professor and one of the world’s leading experts on viral transmission, stated that,
 
“…there is also plenty of evidence showing that masks protect the wearer even when others around them are mask-free. The amount of protection depends on the quality of the mask and how well it fits. Given that the Omicron variant is far more infectious than other variants, health experts recommend upgrading your mask to an N95, KN95 or KF94, which are all high-quality medical masks. Other variables, such as how much time you are exposed to an infected person and how well a space is ventilated also will affect your risk.”
 
Can you believe that we are still arguing over whether children should or should not wear a mask at school?  Well, we are, and the answer is still the same.  Masks are safe to wear all day at school.  Now, we add the fact that even if you are the only person or student wearing a mask in the room, wearing a mask will help keep you from catching COVID.
 
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For research on the safety of wearing a mask, see Do Mask Mandates Cause Psychological or Medical Problems for Children in School?
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I’m Vaccinated.  Isn’t That Enough?

Some people may be saying, “but wait, I thought getting vaccinated was all that I needed.  Isn’t that why I got vaccinated, so I wouldn’t be stuck wearing a mask all day?” Yet, a recent report from Cornell University demonstrates very clearly how effective wearing a mask to class can help curb COVID.  This is a current report from this past week.
 
“Between March 17 and March 23, Cornell recorded 515 positive COVID-19 infections among students, staff and faculty, according to data from the university.  …97% of the student population is vaccinated, while 92% of those eligible are boosted.  The increase comes less than two weeks after the school dropped its mask mandate for most locations….
 
“Nationwide, BA.2, now accounts for more than a third of new COVID-19 cases.”
 
Being vaccinated is very important and everyone should be vaccinated and get a booster when eligible.  We should also not forget to wear a mask—students as well as adults.

 
Do You Need To Wear A Mask Outside?
 
Some people will say, “I don’t need a mask.  I’m staying 6 feet away from other people and that will keep me safe.  Or, I have a plexiglass divider.  Or I’m outside.”  However, Marr goes on to explain that, yes, you do need a mask.
 
“It’s true that viral particles are concentrated closest to an infected individual… but just as cigarette smoke eventually spreads throughout a room, so, too, does the coronavirus.”
  
The cigarette smoke comparison is clear and easy to understand.  We have all been in a room when someone was smoking, even if the person is totally on the other side of the room, smoke travels.  In the backyard, if the neighbor two houses down is smoking outside, it travels all the way to your house.  Just like cigarette smoke, COVID travels throughout a room and even in the air outside. 
 
The CDC makes it clear that you need to wear the mask “consistently” for it to do any good.  You can’t put it on, take it off, pull it down underneath your chin, or wear it very loosely.  To be effective, the mask must fit snugly over the nose and mouth.
 
So, don’t hop out of your car to pump gas without a mask or run inside to the restroom without a mask.  It doesn’t count if you are diligent about wearing a mask at work but leave the mask in the car when running errands.
 
The same is true for children.  Don’t climb on the bus without a mask.  Your child may even want to consider wearing a mask out on the playground. 
 
Remember, COVID is just like the cigarette smoke: it travels through the air.  Masks do not take the place of vaccinations, but they are an important step in staying healthy.
 
As we discussed in my last blog post, even mild COVID can cause cognitive processing problems.  So, be prepared, don’t leave home without your mask.
 
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For more information on cognitive processing and COVID, read Should We Be Concerned about the Effects of COVID on Cognitive Processing and Executive Functioning Concerning Classroom Learning Losses?
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We have established that a mask helps protect you and your child, even if you are the only person wearing a mask in the room.  We have also learned that vaccines and masks work hand-in-hand together to give you the best protection.  It’s not an either-or situation, you need both.
 
Get vaccinated.  Get boosted when eligible.  And don’t forget to wear a mask, N95, KN95 or KF94 if possible.

In September, I told the story of a 15-year-old boy who returned to school after COVID, who was confused, unable to remember what he had previously learned, or even remember what he studied the day before?  This was a top student.  In his own words, he said, “Am I going to be able to be a good student ever again?  Because this is really scary.”
 
We have known from the beginning that COVID can cause cognitive processing problems after a severe illness.  Now, new research shows that even mild  COVID may affect cognitive processing and executive function.  Cognitive processing and executive function are essential if we are to correct the learning losses that we have in classrooms right now. 
 
Children cannot learn to read or work math problems if their ability to process information cognitively is severely affected or changed.  Children must be mentally engaged with the learning process.  They must be able to think and process information in order to learn.

Take reading as an example.  Reading comprehension occurs in the brain.  A child must be able to cognitively process the information being taught to learn to read.  As Dr. Sally Shaywitz explains,
 
“In order to read, a child must “enter the language system,” this means that the child must activate and use the brain circuits that are already in place for oral language….”
 
If, after COVID (even mild COVID), the child can no longer “enter the language system” or understand what is being taught in the classroom because of “brain fog” or other processing problems, then the child is not going to learn.
 
While we have been fighting over keeping children in school, we have totally overlooked the harms of long-covid and now possibly even mild COVID.  If future research continues to support the claim that cognitive processing and executive function are affected by even mild COVID, then we have a major problem in the classroom, a problem that pertains directly to learning and correcting learning losses.
 
Indeed, for the past several weeks, we have been discussing what the schools plan to do—and even possibly should do—to correct learning losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.  As we look for answers to correcting learning losses in the classroom, a new research study has sparked a whole new line of questioning. 

 
Does a Mild COVID Infection Affect How the Brain Functions as Children Experience Learning Loss?
 
For the most part, schools have only concerned themselves with learning losses caused by lack of classroom attendance, use of online teaching, the wearing of masks, or anything that they considered to interfere with a normal classroom education.  Yet, research now shows that even mild cases of COVID can lead to cognitive processing and executive functioning problems. 
 
First, let's define our terms.  Then, we will look at the research studies.
 
The two problems that we are looking at are cognitive processing and executive function.  Any educator will tell you that these are very important as children learn. David Eagleman, Ph.D., explains: 
 
“Cognitive processing” describes how the brain gathers and uses information.  Slow cognitive processing creates problems when students are trying to learn.  Therefore, a problem with cognitive processing caused by COVID should be a major concern as we attempt to correct learning losses."
 
The second problem that we are looking at is executive function.  “Executive function” can be defined like this:
 
“Executive function is a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. We use these skills every day to learn, work, and manage daily life.”
 
Cognitive processing and executive function work hand in hand. When cognitive processing slows down for some reason, this affects executive function and the ability to learn.  So, if we are to help students overcome learning losses, we absolutely must identify and correct any cognitive processing or executive function problems.
 
 
What Does New Research Show?
 
The recent University of Oxford study showed that even mild COVID can change brain tissue. On Monday, March 7th, the University of Oxford reported on research with 785 participants over the age of 50.  These participants had a neural image of their brain on file before COVID.  Each participant received two brain scans approximately 38 months apart.  Anyone with a severe case (sending them to the hospital) was not included in the study.  The researchers found that those who tested positive for COVID-19 showed an:
 
“… increase in brain tissue damage, a reduction in brain size, and a reduction in gray matter thickness.” 
 
Continuing, they explained that MRI exams showed noticeable brain problems:
 
“Between the pairs of MRIs, which were separated by an average of about three years, …. those who had Covid [showed]: a greater loss of what’s known as gray matter in the brain, as well as a higher rate of abnormalities in the brain tissue.”
 
Did these brain abnormalities from mild COVID affect cognitive skills?  Yes, they did:
 
“On cognitive function tests, those who had Covid demonstrated a slower ability to process information and had lower marks on what’s known as executive function, which is an umbrella measure of the brain’s ability to manage complex tasks.”
 
This is a peer-reviewed study, and the publisher even offers the peer review statements online for you to read.
 
 
What Does This Study Prove?
 
As one researcher from the University of Oxford study stated, there was “definite cognitive decline between the brain scans” from just mild COVID.  The Oxford study is one of the first studies to document these cognitive changes in the brain after mild COVID.
 
This study from the University of Oxford is an excellent study, but as Dr. Benedict Michael from the University of Liverpool told Newsweek, we still need to know more:  
 
"The bottom line is, this is a very methodologically sound study with pre- and post-COVID controls. But now we need studies to determine what this actually means for people in terms of cognitive function and quality of life ...."

We do not have a similar study with pre- and post-neuroimaging brain scans with children, but this study from Oxford is one of the first large-scale pre- and post-test evaluations of the actual changes that occurred in the brain after a mild case of COVID-19.  This study was also conducted before the vaccine was widespread. 

  
Are There Any Other Studies That Report Similar Findings?
 
Even though we do not have pre- and post-brain scans of children who suffered from mild COVID, we do have other studies and some doctors believe that children and teens can be suffering from the same cognitive processing and executive function problems as the people from the Oxford study. 
 
Doctors from Mount Sinai reported that COVID patients 18 and older who were only treated in the emergency department, then released and sent home (mild cases)  “…also had developed thinking problems.”
 
Dr. Igor Koralnik, chief of the division of neuro-infectious disease and global neurology at Northwestern Medicine, supports the findings from Mount Sinai and says that yes young people with mild cases can experience cognitive processing problems. 
 
Dr. Koralnik says:

“This study confirms what we have also seen at Northwestern, that cognitive problems are persistent both in patients who were previously hospitalized and also in patients who had only mild respiratory symptoms….”
 
So, something is definitely happening in the brain, even when people have a mild case of COVID. 
 
 
How Does the Oxford Study Relate to Students in the Classroom?
 
We need to become more aware of these cognitive processing problems, especially as students who have had COVID return to school.  What should we do to help these students struggling with mild and long-term COVID problems?
 
A video of a 12-year-old’s story shows the dramatic difference COVID can make in the life of a young person. I encourage you to watch this video.  The video also offers advice on how to deal with long-covid at school. 
 
 
Where Does That Leave Us in Terms of Learning Loss in the Classroom?
 
Searching for answers? Many questions remain to be answered.  Research continues.  Those of us who work with children and teens need to ask what this means for correcting learning losses in the classroom.
 
 
Cognitive Processing Problems are not New with Students who Struggle to Read.
 
At my reading clinic, I will definitely strengthen my efforts in cognitive processing and executive function.  I already emphasize these two areas since they are common problems for children struggling to learn to read.  I think that it would also be wise for the schools to strengthen support for students struggling with cognitive processing and executive function.  COVID may have had more of an effect than we think.
 
One way that I strengthen cognitive processing and executive function skills at my reading clinic is through hands-on learning projects.  For example, the space station displayed at the top of this blog post is an example of an activity that I use.  The space station is created completely and totally from the child's imagination.  There are no instructions, no patterns.  The child must think and figure out how to make things work.  As the children go around from workstation to workstation, they create and add to their space station.  The children must process information and then use that information to build their space station.  The children read stories, and we talk about what astronauts need to survive in space.  I have a table full of recyclable materials that they use to make their space station. They may add spelling words at one station, or stories they have written at a different station.  The only supplies needed are recyclables (plastic containers, tissue rolls, plastic cups…whatever you have on hand), construction paper, and glue. 
 
 
I call it the Peaceful World Space Station because I'm always emphasizing peace, sharing, and cooperation while I teach children to read.
 
Next, we will explore more ways to help students cope with cognitive processing and executive function problems.  Stay tuned.

A first grader was sent to my after-school program because he was not only failing in school, but reading below the kindergarten level.  After one year in my program, he was reading at the third-grade level—as a first grader.  You can imagine my shock the next fall when he was sent back to my program.  The school had retained him in first grade because of his absences throughout the year, even though he was reading at the third-grade level.  Yes, the child was absent a lot, even from my program.  The child had asthma.  I offered to go with the parent to talk with the school; she refused.  This was a single parent household with the family living in the housing projects.  The student had become a behavior problem in just the first two weeks of school; therefore, he was sent back to me to correct his behavior.  The child quickly informed me upon his return that he didn't need to work on reading because he was just a first grader.  I smiled and said, “Here at the Reading Orienteering Club, we all work on reading each and every day, and since you can read at the third-grade level, I'll expect to see you challenging yourself to read even harder books and stories.”  He finished the year reading at the fifth-grade level, even though he was still just a first grader in school.
 
Would equitable grading have made a difference for this student?  I think so.  Naturally, it depends on how the school uses equitable grading.

 
What Is Equitable Grading?
 
There are as many theories on equitable grading as there are people to write comments about the practice.  Yet, for us, I will define equitable grading to be mastery of the material being taught.  That means that the grade being given on the report card from school does not include attendance, class participation, or homework. Equitable grading does not use all sorts of fancy grading scales.  To me, equitable grading means that the grade reflects what the student has learned, not how well they cooperated or behaved in class.  Yes, I know that behavior and cooperation are important.  Trust me, I work with at-risk students who do not always walk in the door displaying their best behavior.  If you are a teacher or counselor, classroom behavior is always a concern.
 
Behavior and cooperation grades, if desired, should be totally separate from academic grades.  Yes, I know that teachers need classroom cooperation and appropriate behavior, but the grading system that we are presently using is not working.
 
 
Why Would Equitable Grading Help Us Overcome Learning Losses?
 
If the grades sent home on a report card actually reflected how well the student has learned the material being taught during that grading period, then parents and teachers alike would better understand what the student has and has not learned.
Parents often come to my reading clinic and tell me that they do not understand why the teacher says their child cannot read.  As they say, “He brought home a B on his report card.” 
If the report card grade includes behavior, attendance, and homework, a well-behaved child can easily bring home a B on their report card and still not be able to read.  Yes, I’ve seen it many times.
 
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For more about learning losses in reading, see: 
Reading Wars are Over!  Phonics Failed.  Whole Language Failed.  Balanced Literacy Failed. Who Won?  It Certainly Wasn’t the Students  
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Do Report Card Grades Reflect How Much Students Have Learned?
 
No, in general, I do not think that our grading system shows how much the student has actually learned.  When we talk about learning losses from COVID or even before COVID, we must actually be measuring true improvement.
 
If the school is adding points for homework turned in correctly or even incorrectly, then you do not have an equitable grading system.  Yes, some schools give points to students who turn in their homework even if it has the wrong answers.  These homework points are then added into the overall grade listed on the report card. 
 
If your report card grades add points for classroom participation or cooperation, then you do not have an equitable grading system.  As Jennifer Gunn said in an article for Resilient Educator, you cannot measure everything with one grade:
 
“The truth is, grades cannot represent everything. They can’t encompass a student’s behavior, ability to meet deadlines, mastery of content and skills, participation, effort, professionalism, attendance, punctuality, neatness, and likeability… inconsistent grading practices and the ways they can inadvertently perpetuate achievement and opportunity gaps among our students make grading an issue of equity. There are grading practices that are more bias-resistant and motivational that can improve learning, minimize grade inflation, reduce failure rates, and create stronger teacher-student relationships and more caring classrooms.” 
 
I totally agree that “grades cannot represent everything.”  If we are ever to overcome the learning losses from the pandemic and before, we must have a separate academic grade based on what the student has learned.
 
 
Are Schools Changing Their Grading Policies After COVID?
 
Some schools have made changes to their grading policies.  Unfortunately, it is uncertain whether these changes have helped or hurt.  There is no uniform policy change, and no one is checking to make sure that the changes that are being made have actually helped the students overcome learning losses.  As one report explains:
 
 “To curb an alarming rise in failing students at the height of the pandemic, school districts around the U.S. showed leniency in accepting late work and assigning grades.
  
As the coronavirus crisis subsides, some are sticking with it or adopting similar approaches — not because of the pandemic, but often because of what it revealed about how students are penalized for hardships like a lack of support at home, work obligations or poor internet access.”
 
Are lenient policies the answer to correcting learning losses?  I do not think so.  Leniency has its place, but we still need to measure exactly what the student is or is not learning.  At my reading clinic, I give students all the time they need to learn a concept or complete a project, but I never reduce the standards or the reading skills that they must learn.

 
Homework Does Not Reflect Equitable Grading.

As for adding in points for completing homework, we need to remember that it has been proven that homework does not teach and does not always translate into better learning.  I’ll have more to say about homework later.  For now, I will just say that we need to separate homework from the grade that is recorded on the report card, especially since homework has been shown through research not to be effective in helping students learn.

For more details and research on homework, I encourage you to read The Battle Over Homework by Harris Cooper.  If you cannot find it at your public library, it’s available for $3.98 from Better World Books.

 
Must We Rely on Grades?
 
Let me first explain, that I do not give grades in any of my programs, but I do test to make sure students are actually learning.  Regardless of whether it is with my one-on-one tutoring with vowel clustering, my weeklong Camp Sharigan program, or my year long after-school Reading Orienteering Club program, all of my programs test.  I pretest before students enter my program so I can tell where a student needs help.  I use a midpoint test to measure progress and determine who needs extra help.  The mid-point test also tells me if a student is not improving.  If a student is not showing improvement at mid-point, I immediately change my teaching approach with that student until I find a way to help that student.  My post-test at the end of the year tells me the grade level that the student is able to read at after instruction.  I test reading level, spelling, and comprehension.
 
Although testing is essential, testing must absolutely reflect what the student has learned.  If you do not test, you cannot prove that the student has actually learned anything.  I do not use such things as pop quizzes or unit tests.  Parents frequently tell me how much their child’s grades have improved at school.  I’m pleased, but I still rely on a pre-, midpoint, and post-test to tell me exactly how much the student has learned in my program.
 
Since my goal is to send students back to the classroom able to succeed in class, I need to make sure that they have actually learned the skills that I'm teaching.  It takes some students longer than others.  I teach to the individual needs of each student.
 
Behavior and cooperation are separate from teaching and learning.  Yes, I frequently must deal with after-school behaviors and a lack of cooperation.  But I do not grade or test behavior or cooperation. If you must grade behavior, I think that you should have a totally separate grade for behavior.  
 
Hands-on teaching techniques help resolve behavior and cooperation problems.  Puppets, rockets, pop-up houses, hands-on teaching techniques definitely keep students interested and engaged in the learning process. 
 _________________

For more about hands-on learning, see Teaching Technique #8:  Hands-on Learning
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Where Should We Start?
 
If you are a teacher or school administrator, you may be asking how can you set up an equitable grading system? If you are a parent, wanting to sit down with your child’s teacher, you may be asking, how do I discuss equitable grading with the school or with a teacher?
 
Some questions you might ask are:

• Does the student's grade on their report card reflect what they have learned?
• Are points added or taken away when the student is absent or does not complete an assignment?
• Is the student allowed to make up a low grade with additional learning activities?  Or do they just retake the test?
• Does the report card grade reflect how well the student behaved in class or cooperated with others?
• Does the report card grade include points or grades for completed homework?
• How can the grade recorded on the report card more closely show what the student has learned and how the student has or has not improved in actually learning the concepts being taught in class?

 
As Sandra Burns, an elementary school principal, explains:
 
“Leaving out irrelevant grading factors, such as time taken or behavior concerns, will focus on the mastery level of each grade earned as opposed to outside factors that should be irrelevant to an overall grade earned.
 
As educators, we want the very best for all of our students. Grading assignments can at times be a challenge when we allow irrelevant criteria to weigh in on overall grades. The more we align our grading rubrics to the ultimate goal or objective of the assignment, the better equipped we’ll be to create meaningful and valid grading procedures within our classrooms.”  
  
So, the next time you have a chance to speak at a school board meeting or to attend a parent teacher conference, don't hesitate to ask, what can be done to provide more equitable grading for our students?  I really do think equitable grading will help us overcome learning losses.  It's not enough all by itself, but it's a good place to begin.

For children to do well in school, they must, first and foremost, protect their health. On February 4th, I mentioned that a link between COVID and diabetes had been found with children. 
 
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that: “A new study shows children under age 18 were at greater risk of being diagnosed with diabetes more than 30 days after a COVID-19 infection than those who weren’t infected with the virus or those with pre-pandemic acute respiratory infections (ARI).”
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For more, see my earlier post:  Why Are Parents Still Afraid of the COVID-19 Vaccine? Is Misinformation to Blame?
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Many parents have shown interest in the CDC’s report.  Schools and teachers should also be concerned because when children are sick, they struggle to learn.  Teachers are also in a position to notice early warnings signs of diabetes—excessive thirst, frequent bathroom trips, exhaustion, and weight loss.
 
I promised to do more research.  This is what I found.
 
A Research Study from the United Kingdom: COVID-19 and Diabetes
 
Researchers from the Imperial College in London said,
​
"Our analysis shows that during the peak of the pandemic the number of new cases of type 1 diabetes in children was unusually high….  this study is the first to show a potential link between COVID-19 and the development of type 1 diabetes in some children.  [this occurs because] …the coronavirus spike protein might be able to attack and destroy insulin making cells in the pancreas.”
 
The researchers go on to say, “Type 1 diabetes can be managed through insulin injections. However, children can become very unwell if the disease is not recognised and treated early.  [symptoms to watch for]  …feeling thirsty, going to the toilet (passing urine) frequently, feeling tired and looking thinner (weight loss).”
 
Research so far does not prove a direct link between COVID and diabetes.  All we have so far is a correlation.  That means that we are finding an increase in diabetes among children who have had COVID.  This is a definite reason for concern but not proof that COVID caused the increase in diabetes.  We need more research.  Parents whose children have had COVID should definitely watch for the symptoms of diabetes and have their children’s blood sugar levels tested by their doctor.
 
One family’s story reminds all of us how important it is to watch for symptoms early.  I hope you will take a moment to watch this heartbreaking video.  By becoming more aware of the symptoms, you might be able to save the life of a child.
 
 
The CDC Study
Concern started when media interest spiked after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an increase in diabetes among children who had been diagnosed with COVID.  The CDC concluded,
 
“Persons aged <18 years with COVID-19 were more likely to receive a new diabetes diagnosis >30 days after infection than were those without COVID-19 and those with prepandemic acute respiratory infections. Non–SARS-CoV-2 respiratory infection was not associated with an increased risk for diabetes.”

The CDC, again, is basically stating that there is a correlation.  Although we do not as of yet have proof that COVID causes diabetes, such a correlation between COVID and diabetes should definitely concern all parents and doctors. 
 
Since the CDC report is fairly technical, I found this easy-to-understand summary from Li Cohen, a reporter for CBS News.  Cohen stated,
 
“[children] …diagnosed with COVID-19 … were 166% more likely than those who did not have COVID to be diagnosed later with diabetes.”
 
“…children who had COVID were also 116% more likely to develop diabetes than those who had non-COVID respiratory infections prior to the pandemic. Non-COVID respiratory infection was not associated with diabetes…."
 
So, there is a connection between COVID and diabetes.  Researchers are just not sure exactly what that connection may be.  Yet, the connection between COVID and diabetes is too strong for us to merely brush it off as coincidence. 
 
Cohen went on to interview Dr. Sheela Natesh Magge, director of the pediatric endocrinology division at Johns Hopkins.  Dr. Magge stated that,
 
“…the development of diabetes could be attributed to how COVID affects the body's organs, such as the "direct attack of the pancreatic cells….  There's some evidence that COVID-19 infection could affect insulin secretion….  The stress of any infection can increase blood sugars and can make you have a higher risk of any of the complications of diabetes because your blood sugars could get higher."
 
The doubting Thomas’s may be saying, “OK, my child had COVID, got over it, and now is fine.”  That attitude is exactly what the researchers are trying to warn people against.  Diabetes does not always immediately follow having COVID.  Diabetes can develop anywhere from 30 days after a COVID infection to even longer.  Check with your doctor and watch for the warning signs.  Early detection of diabetes is extremely important.

 
Is there any other research supporting these claims?

I found other research supporting this concern.

• Dr. Jennifer Sherr, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Yale, said,

“I can say that anecdotally, here at Yale, we've seen increased risk of type two diabetes and more diagnosis of type two diabetes.”
 
Dr. Sherr again reminds us that “correlation doesn’t mean causation.”  No one is saying that just because your child had COVID that they will automatically get diabetes.  The research is saying to watch for the warning signs of diabetes.  Be on the alert.

• Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, after studying data over the past five years, found that “…the incidence of new-onset T1D [type 1 diabetes] during the COVID-19 global pandemic in 2020 and 2021 appeared to have increased compared with previous years.” 

 

• Some research indicates that the increase is not just with Type 1 diabetes.  Researchers are also seeing an increase with Type 2 diabetes.

 
“…the estimated prevalence of diabetes among children and adolescents increased significantly for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.”
 

• Dr. Sharon Saydah, a researcher at the CDC, explained that so far research does not tell us whether “post-COVID Type 2 diabetes” would be a chronic (long term) condition or a “transient condition” that might eventually resolve with treatment.  She does remind everyone that Type 1 diabetes is not reversible.  It never goes away.  She went on to say that vaccinating all eligible children against COVID, masking, social distancing, and taking every precaution is the best way to protect the children. 

 

• What the CDC report did state is that for over 2.5 million children under the age of 18, those who had been diagnosed with COVID-19, they were:

 
“… about 2.5 times more likely to receive a new diabetes diagnosis a month or more after infection.”
 
These numbers are more than high enough for us to take the threat seriously We must not ignore this research.  I will keep you posted as new research emerges.
 
So, the conclusion is, yes, we have seen an increase in diabetes from children who had COVID.  Does COVID cause diabetes?  We do not know.  Research is continuing.  What we do know is that we should all be on the alert and watching for the warning signs of diabetes with children.