Leukemia survivor Oscar Bisman and his dad Gavin in 2021. Photo / Supplied
Pāpāmoa dad Gavin Bisman admits he was nervous about sending his 6-year-old son Oscar to school.
Bisman has more reasons than most parents to worry. Oscar was diagnosed with leukemia in early 2020 and has since been in and out of Starship Children's Hospital in Auckland.
"I was a bit scared of [Omicron] to be honest. It seems like it is a lot more transferable," Bisman told the Bay of Plenty Times.
His comments come as several schools around the country deal with cases in their communities as Term 1 begins. Eight new Covid-19 cases were reported across Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty yesterday.
For the Bisman family, sending Oscar to school during a pandemic was not an easy decision.
Last year, Oscar received a lifesaving transplant which placed him in the "severely immunocompromised" category.
"Anything could upset the balance of the transplant so anything can be serious," Bisman said.
While Oscar's immune system is stronger than it was three months ago, Bisman said his son's recovery from leukemia was "an ongoing situation".
"Oscar has been vaccinated and he will be going to school but we are going to have him wearing a mask."
Oscar goes to Golden Sands School in Pāpāmoa and is younger than the required mask-wearing age but his parents feel the precaution will minimise his chances of catching Covid-19.
"We're mindful of him being a kid," Bisman said.
"For the last few years there's been a lot of things he couldn't do. We want him to start living again.
"Daily we're mindful of how many people are around him.
"If there are more cases in the community we will have to bring him home [from school] to keep him safer."
Bisman said Omicron was a big concern for the children and families in similar situations to Oscar's.
"A common cold could kill these kids if they caught it in the first round of treatment.
"I know there are some parents that aren't going to send their children back [to school]. That's about where their children are in the treatment."
Bisman was full of praise for the staff at Golden Sands School, especially Oscar's class teacher who visited him in Starship.
"Oscar's not the only kid in that school and the community who's immunocompromised. They've been amazing.
"The way I see it the staff are putting their lives on the line for the kids."
Bisman said it was "upsetting" to hear people winge about precautions like mask-wearing.
"My older son is not going to enjoy wearing a mask to school but it's a no-brainer.
"He's going to wear one to protect his classmates and teachers, and himself."
Bisman felt some of the positivity and unity present in the community at the start of the pandemic has been lost.
"It's been a byline to look after the vulnerable but when a mandate comes in people react negatively. It doesn't fit.
"At the end of the day it's about community. This community has done a lot for us.
"So when you hear about the rules give it a minute, take it on board. Be mindful."
Golden Sands School principal Melanie Taylor said the school worked with families on a case-by-case basis to ensure the needs of immunocompromised students were catered for.
Taylor said everyone at the school followed guidelines including mask-wearing, social distancing where possible, hand-washing, sanitising, scanning in, having essential visitors only and staying home if unwell.
Taylor said tamariki were "coping well" with mask-wearing and the school was ensuring they got outside as much as possible and took regular breaks.
Regarding pupils choosing to wear masks even if not legally required, Taylor said children were empathetic to each other and their needs.
"We celebrate diversity so children are supportive of others' choices."
Ministry of Education operations and integration hautū (leader) Sean Teddy said under the red traffic light setting, those with underlying medical conditions should take extra precautions.
"Children with complex medical needs can seek advice from their health professional about whether it is appropriate to come to school."
Support for off-site learning would be provided for those who were advised to remain at home, he said.
"We encourage parents and caregivers to contact their school if they have any concerns about their child attending in person.
"The school may offer either a way for the child to learn off-site or a plan to ensure their safety while at school."
University of Otago professor and Immunisation Advisory Centre medical director Peter McIntyre described immune deficiency as a "spectrum".
"People who are most severely affected would be someone who has had an organ transplant or a bone marrow transplant, or someone who is on active treatment for cancer," McIntyre said.
"That means they are receiving drugs that are specifically designed to knock out cancer cells but knock out good cells as well.
"There are also people who might have problems with joints, various auto-immune diseases of the skin or eyes who might require fairly mild treatment."
McIntyre said the main issue in the pandemic for people who were immune-compromised was their response to the Covid-19 vaccine.
"There can be a lack of response [to vaccines] for any infection depending on just how severe your immune compromise is. It is a disadvantage."
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McIntyre said older people were also at risk because their immune systems were less able to respond to new infections.
"Children's immune system is designed to recognise new bugs because all the bugs are new. Older people start to become susceptible to infections like a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old."
McIntyre said the vaccination of people around them was still best way to protect people with immune deficiencies.
"As far as Covid-19 is concerned the best option is still vaccination. That is something which is very important at the household level.
"If you've got someone in the household [with immune deficiencies] then obviously it would be very appropriate to be taking all the precautions including rapid tests and the best protection in terms of vaccinations and mask-wearing."
McIntyre said without the Covid-19 vaccine "we'd be in a huge pickle".
