At least 16 sick after coronavirus exposure at DeWitt (NY) in-home day care

[ARPad95]

‘Take this seriously ... stay home if sick at all'

Updated 7:03 AM; Today 6:00 AM

By Elizabeth Doran | [e-mail]

DeWitt, N.Y. At least 16 children and adults have come down with the coronavirus after it spread from contact at a DeWitt family in-home child care.

The cluster of the coronavirus cases has made people in four families sick, including six children at the child care, one sibling, seven parents and two grandmothers, according to Heidi Feathers, who operates the licensed in-home child care with two other parents.

The cases go back to a mom who didn’t quarantine as she waited to learn if she had the virus. For three days she brought her child to the child care, Feathers said. It turned out the child was asymptomatic and both the child and mom have since tested positive for the virus, she said.

“I’m so frustrated that she didn’t tell me, and she didn’t stay home,‘' said Feathers, who had a fever and was sick for eight days. “People need to take this seriously, and stay home if they are sick at all.”

The way the virus spread so easily because people didn’t stay home and made so many people sick is why Feathers and a mom whose family got sick are talking about what happened.

Feathers said Onondaga County Health Department staff confirmed to her that they believe the cases link back to the asymptomatic child brought by the mom who should have been in quarantine. Feathers said she also has heard from the families who became sick.

Onondaga County Health Department doesn’t discuss the specifics of coronavirus cases, said Justin Sayles, county spokesman. He said the county releases information about specific cases only when it has been unable to trace everyone who might have been exposed.

Dr. Indu Gupta, Onondaga County’s health commissioner, said in a statement the virus remains in the community and this is not a time to be complacent.

“We must also remember that this virus can be spread from asymptomatic individuals,” she said. “This responsibility doesn’t fall on a few — it is the job of everyone in order to recover from this as a community.”

Feathers, who required the parents to wear masks and took the children’s temperatures when they arrived, has a five-month-old baby girl and a boy who turned 4 on July 4. They both contracted the virus.

Her infant was congested, lethargic and had a high fever, she said. Her son had a fever, sore throat and body aches. Her son has respiratory issues and she was terribly worried about him.

Abbey Baird, who works at Onondaga Community College and lives in DeWitt, takes her children to Feathers’ day care and loves it there.

Baird had been able to work remotely from March until June 22, but then she had to return to the college in person.

“My biggest fear right then was that I’d bring my kids back to day care, and they’d get the virus,” she said. “Then that fear came true.”

Baird took her two boys, ages 9 and 11, to the day care for just three days before they were exposed to the virus and contracted it.

“I don’t blame the day care at all,‘' Baird said. “She took every precaution with temperature checks and hand sanitizer, and she did absolutely everything they could.”

When Baird learned her children had been exposed on June 29 she was furious that a parent had walked into the day care sick, with an asymptomatic child.

The parent had been tested Tuesday, and continued to come into the center and drop off her child all week before going to work, Feathers said. The mom got her results on that Friday, she said.

Baird’s husband and the two boys tested positive. They are still waiting for the test results for herself and her 4-year-old girl, who attended a small preschool program.

Fortunately, Baird said, the two boys had mild cases with no fever. The 11-year old had a head cold and the 9-year-old a cough. They have recovered, but she said the health department told her and her husband, Andy, to watch out for a possible return of symptoms for the children after six weeks.

Baird also had symptoms, which started July 3. She had a headache, stuffy nose, abdominal pain, sore throat and slight cough. Her husband is much sicker — he has been in bed for six days with horrible chills, body aches, a fever and a cough.

“We all need to think,” she said. “You can’t just think about yourself. Look at the number of people who were impacted and potentially impacted.”

Baird said if people have any symptoms, they should just stay home. Her children’s symptoms were atypical of the coronavirus — she said she never would have suspected it. And while the parent wore a mask, the child played freely with the other children after being exposed to the mom, she said.

Several days ago, Feathers said the mom apologized, saying she dropped her child off and ignored the quarantine because she really thought she just had allergies. Plus she said she had no one else to pick the child up, as her husband was working, Feathers said.

Feathers said the whole experience has traumatized her. Her husband, who became sick, helped take care of her and her two sick children. Her mom, who assists her in the business, also is sick.

“It’s very scary,‘' she said. “It’s awful having a sick five-month-old and another one with breathing issues who had the virus.”

When the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, Heidi Feathers closed the child care and didn’t reopen until early June as the virus cases in the area began to decline.

Now, she’s working to reopen on July 20. She said she worked with the county health department staff to develop a reopening plan.

She has a company coming in to deep clean and sanitize her entire home. She won’t let any parents inside the day care anymore — they will have to drop their child at the gate and pick them up there.

Baird shared her concerns on social media, and said she hopes people will stop to think.

“If you even think you could be sick, please just stay home,‘' she said.

[link:https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/07/at-least-16-sick-after-coronavirus-exposure-at-dewitt-in-home-day-care-take-this-seriously-stay-home-if-sick-at-all.html|]

This family had just re-opened their in-home day care in early June! Imagine how fast and far & wide it'll spread if one asymptomatic child goes to larger day care center or school!

[Crunchy Frog]

1. Only a few miles away from where I live.

Doesn't fill me with confidence over sending my own two kids back to school.

[ARPad95]

2. I'm in Onondaga County, too, CF. My kids are grown and on their own. I couldn't imagine going

through this crisis if they were still school age. I think CE Ryan McMahon, who also has young children, will not place any other child in harms way. For a Republican, he seems to have his heart in the right place.

[Crunchy Frog]

3. Mine will be going into 6th grade.

The online schooling was really hellish to go through, and they're at an age where socialization is very important, but after this incident, I can't see putting them back anytime soon.

I'm glad that our county is as on top of things as it is, but it still only takes one person being an irresponsible idiot.

[ARPad95]

4. Exactly just like the mom in the article! :(