Having mitigated the H1N1 epidemic in 2009, Camp Doctors are confident in Summer 2021. Many people don't realize how prepared the medical team at camp really is.
Camps are preparing to open this summer with strong COVID-19 measures. In many ways, camps are more prepared this summer than they were in 2009 during the H1N1 Swine Flu. A year into the pandemic, medical professionals and scientists know more about COVID-19 than ever. Teams of Medical Doctors, Nurses, and Health Consultants are in agreement that by adopting multiple non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI’s), mitigating COVID-19 is extremely manageable.
Dr. Deborah Shapiro, a pulmonologist in West Nyack, NY, served as a camp physician for 13 years. As the MD in residence during the peak of the H1N1 Swine Flu in camp, she feels confident that camps will be ready for the summer. "I really do believe that camp will be a safe place for everyone this summer," says Dr. Shapiro. "Camps will be implementing so many mitigation efforts that in many cases, being at camp could be even safer than your own home. Unlike home, where family members are constantly coming and going, there will be comprehensive measures in place to control the environment.”
Being at camp could be even safer than your own home
Implementing the protocols is the key to the camps' success this summer. These protocols include:
Medical COVID-19 testing 72 hours before camp, rapid testing on arrival day, and several days after the start of camp
Low-risk behaviors 10 days leading up to camp
Daily health screenings
Increased cleaning and disinfecting
Improved hand hygiene
Ventilation of indoor spaces
"Three consecutive negative COVID-19 tests will be a very convincing metric that there is no COVID-19 in camp. To be even more cautious, camps will continue to implement other health measures to account for any possible error," says Dr. Shapiro.
What happens if there is a positive case in camp? "In 2009, we established isolation units for campers with the Swine Flu. Camps have the capacity to isolate, as well as the medical staff to care for ill campers. Many camps have multiple RN's and an MD in residence."
As the health situation improves, so will the restrictions. Rest assured, camps are prepared for the summer.