I am not a doctor nor do I have any medical training or background. It is best to seek professional advice. However, I do have a child that dances at the studio and I am in the age range that is considered most susceptible to COVID-19 being dangerous.
So, I did some research on my own because I personally feel that I can make better decisions when I know the facts.
This is what I found; again, I encourage you to do your own research.
Flu
- Different strains of Flu – A,B,C,D
- Common Flu in US is Type A
- More serious for children is Type B
- 21 children died from the flu in the month of December 2019 in the US
- 4,800 deaths from the Flu in US from Oct. – Jan. 2019, (consistent with past years – CDC), predominately Type B
- Typically the A strain begins the season and the B strain follows, however this season the B strain started early this season (William Schaffner, MD, professor of infectious diseases and preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center).
- Type B doesn’t cause pandemics but Type A infects animals, mutates all the time and results in pandemics. Symptoms are milder for Type B but overall, they are the same. (webmd.com)
- 2019 strains in US were strain A, B, H1N1 and H3N2
- 2017-2018 at least 61,000 flu-related deaths, 45 million were infected (usnews.com, cdc.gov) – the most deadly season in a decade (time.com) 2019-2020 is on track to be as severe (director of Nat’l Institute of Allergies and Infectious Disease, Anthony Fauci)
- At least 12,000 die in the US from the flu every year
Coronavirus – businessinsider.com
- 4,700 deaths COVID-19 worldwide (Oct – Mar. 12, 2020)
- 66,239 people recovered from COVID-19 worldwide
- 127,000 people contracted with COVID-19 worldwide
- SARS (a strain of coronavirus with more severe symptoms) outbreak of 2003 had a fatality rate of 10% – 8,098 cases, 774 deaths
- MERS (a strain of coronavirus) killed around 34% of 2,500 confirmed cases
- H1N1 (swine flu, 2009) infected 700 million – 1.4 billion people worldwide, 0.02% mortality rate
- COVID-19 has an estimated fatality rate of 1 to 3.4% fatality rate, however, contracting the virus is much higher than other epidemics
- 38 deaths in the US, 1,350 reported cases (March 12, 2020)
Precautions (cdc.com)
- Frequent hand washing, specifically after going to the bathroom, blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, caring for a sick person, before eating
- Avoid touching your face
- STAY HOME IF YOU’RE SICK
- Cleaning surfaces that you touch a lot, like your phone
- Cough/sneeze into elbow
Coronavirus information (livescience.com)
- Lasts 9 days on metal, glass or plastic
- Can be effectively wiped away by household disinfectants making it inactive within a minute
- Most likely spread from person to person through close contact, coughing or sneezing droplets that land nearby a person’s mouth or nose
Precautions I am taking at Sovereign Ballet
- Every day, beginning last Saturday, I have used antibacterial wipes to clean surfaces that are regularly touched, this includes: metal and wood barres, door handles, ADA bathroom bars, light and lamp switches, front and back door handles, faucet and toilet handles, stereo knobs and cords, light key, brooms, vacuum, microwave
- Antibacterial spray on mats, blocks, rollers, and balls
- Sani-wipes are available throughout the space
- Reminding everyone to wash their hands and cough into their elbow
- Will institute 20 second hand washing halfway through class and end of class
- Hand sanitizer is available, washing hands is still best.
- In October, I sent an email encouraging people to stay home if they’re sick and I can attest to the bad flu season that we’ve had up until now because there has been at least 5 people out any given week due to sickness
As for right now, I will continue to hold classes. Above all, you must make your own judgment call regarding your family. However, please continue to let me know if your child will not be attending class; I would greatly appreciate knowing several hours in advance.
Christina Maria
Director, Sovereign Ballet
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