A message from Kidstown on COVID-19

Dear Kidstown Friends,As we all know the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is becoming an issue to be keenly aware of locally and around the world. Kidstown serves and supports 47 children’s homes in Romania, India and Nepal and with children, staff and home leaders there are over 1,000 individuals that we love and care for.

We need to prepare for the potential threat here and abroad, while not be overly alarmed and having an appropriate response.

First of all, please be praying that this situation will have minor affect for our children, homes, staff and supporters. We are working to connect with all of our homes to find out the situations in each of these countries and regions where Kidstown supports homes and how we can best help.

Some of the good news for our children’s homes, is that children have had much less affect from the virus and there have been no deaths in children. Information is still becoming available on this subject.

Centers for Disease Control / Update 3/4/20

There have been very few reports of the clinical outcomes for children with COVID-19 to date. Limited reports from China suggest that children with confirmed COVID-19 may present with mild symptoms and though severe complications have been reported, they appear to be uncommon. However, as with other respiratory illnesses, certain populations of children may be at increased risk of severe infection, such as children with underlying health conditions.

Teens and people in their 20s also encounter many others, at school and work and on public transit, yet they don’t seem to be contracting the disease at significant rates: Only 8.1% of cases were 20-somethings, 1.2% were teens, and 0.9% were 9 or younger.

Stopping the spread to our homes is a top priority. The virus is not airborne, rather, it is spread via contact with contaminated surfaces or from bodily fluid from coughing or sneezing. These common sense precautions are being sharing with our homes.

• Please wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds each time, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.  Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty or have been in contact with public surfaces.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth at all times and, especially, with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick or have been around people who are sick, even if the symptoms are mild.
• Cover your cough with your forearm or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes.

Thank you for your love and support of these children and home leaders.

 

Sincerely,

Chuck Valley, President/Executive Director

Kidstown International, chuck@kidstown.org