[commandlinefan]

But all of those kids were at the same risk for the regular seasonal flu, which is just about as dangerous to their age group, at this same time last year. And will be at this same time next year, even if they cure COVID-19 completely. If your standard for opening a school is "nobody can get sick", you can never open a school.

[zentiggr]

Or a non-sympomantic kid gives it to another, who goes home and gives it to someone immunocompromised, like _me_. If I get this, I have a high chance of hospitalization and all the organ damage and ventilator consequences and etc that the flu has no serious chance of causing.

Your 'not so bad' doesn't cover the real potential costs.

[commandlinefan]

But that was all true, of a thousand potential diseases, this same time last year. And it will all be true, of a thousand potential diseases, this same time next year, too.

[moistly]

But is it? Really?. ‘Cause, y’know, I don’t recall the last time a disease overwhelmed hospital capacity. Only time I’ve seen refrigerator trucks full of bodies has been after a huge hurricane. IMO it has been a long while since we had such a serious pandemic. I don’t think your claim is at all true. There are, in fact, very few diseases as threatening as this one.

[yetihehe]

Then they go home to their parents and sometimes grandparents.

[nwallin]

The problem is that it's a transmission vector.

If it was observed that, for instance, dogs were a transmission vector of COVID-19 but rarely suffered severe effects, it would be critically important to shut down all the dog parks. Not to protect the dogs, or even the dog owners (in my very limited experience the people who tend to take their dogs to dog parks tend to be younger) but simply to curtail the spread of the disease.

If the schools are open, COVID will be rampant in the larger population, even if few kids are getting seriously ill.

[enchiridion]

Define risk. If we're talking about acute death, then sure.

However, there is also evidence of organ damage and anosmia among those who recover.

[zaphar]

The seasonal flu does not kill 150,000+ people in 4 months. There seasonal flu also usually has a working vaccine. Comparing the risks of spreading the seasonal flu to the risks of spreading the Covid19 virus had Covid19 looking significantly more deadly to a community.