The wave of illnesses that overwhelmed the Chen Health Center in late September left faculty and students struggling with congestion, coughs, fatigue, and more.
However, a number of factors make this surge different from those in years past. With COVID-19 restrictions gone, including masking and social distancing, students have returned to getting sick, and possibly at a higher rate than before masking. All the while, both students and Chen Center staff alike believe that the stress of academics and boarding school life can complicate the recovery process.
In the opening weeks of the fall term, the Chen Center helped students recover from the many illnesses running through the campus, the most prominent being an upper respiratory infection alongside strep throat and mono. Due to how overwhelmed the Chen Center staff was with the volume of ill students, some individuals reported long waits for or trouble receiving treatment when the Health Center was at high capacity. Occasionally, waiting times exceeded an hour for just a walk-in appointment.
Director of Medical Services Dr. Bear Benson explained that the Chen Center is currently staffing new nurses and in the process of hiring another for weekends. Director of Nursing Ms. Kate Rolland also said that it would be preferable to have an extra nurse around when the Health Center is busy, but it can be difficult to have someone come in on short notice. Ms. Rolland said, “The best case scenario is if I could bring in another nurse when we are hit like that, because we just needed more hands.” But with or without those extra hands, both ask for general patience from students when they come into a full waiting room.
Katherine Pajak ’23, who frequently visited the Chen Center with a knee injury, sinus infection, and concussion, described how recovering from illness at Deerfield Academy comes with its own challenges. When she had her sinus infection, Pajak said she fell behind on work to the point where she was actively asking Chen Center staff to be released. She said, “if you miss a day, you’re already three steps behind.” Will Newton ’22, had a similar experience when he was sick with an unidentified illness during the beginning weeks of the Fall Term. He described how he wanted to go to the Health Center at first, but there came a certain point where he had to continue going to classes despite still feeling incredibly sick.
Newton ’22 also said that Deerfield living can make recovery more difficult, most notably when it comes to lack of sleep. He said, “If I had been getting good sleep every night, I would have recovered quicker. Which I was not doing.” Not sleeping enough can make the immune system much less effective, but catching up from missed classes often requires students to stay up late into the night, which makes resting difficult when unwell.
Ms. Rolland doesn’t directly attribute the slower recovery from illnesses to academic intensity or a lack of sleep, but instead to “boarding school fatigue.” “Boarding school fatigue is a known phenomenon amongst the boarding school community,” she said. “Kids who go to boarding school tend to be very driven and academically motivated… I wouldn’t say that Deerfield does anything wrong, just that we’re in a certain environment and those factors can lead to illness.”
More importantly, she said this boarding school fatigue causes students to be more susceptible to illness, mainly because of the negative effects that stress can have on the immune system. “[Stress increasing likelihood of becoming sick] is true in the real world. My nurses are more susceptible to getting sick when they’re stressed out. It’s typical of any human.”
With last year’s COVID-19 regulations obsolete, some may be quick to blame the lack thereof for the massive cold outbreak this year. However, the current situation doesn’t seem to warrant a renewal of those restrictions. Pajak ’23 said “the only solution I can really see [to stop kids from becoming sick] is going back to COVID-19 restrictions… but I don’t think that’s necessary.”
On the other hand, some students are still willing to return to enforced masking to prevent a quick spread of illnesses, especially during the initial back-to-school stages. Newton ’22 said, “I think, just one of the easiest things to do, is just wear a mask. I think that just solves a lot of problems.” A simple face covering can prevent the spread of many illnesses and would have kept many students cough free during the beginning weeks of the term. Still, Newton also said that wearing masks can bring back memories of lockdown and quarantine, and he can understand why some people would want to remain unmasked.
In any event, a back to school illness is not unusual for Deerfield or boarding schools at large, and this year is no different. While Ms. Rolland and Dr. Benson stated that there were slightly higher numbers of sick students this year, they both said the difference was not drastic. Ms. Rolland said this slight increase might have been because “we aren’t masked and we have been masked for eighteen months. Our immune systems were not ready for […] germs”.
Although Deerfield seems safe from COVID-19, we have not seen a single case on campus yet, new sicknesses are roaming around the campus. As the fall term comes to a close, students should be wary of their health especially amidst numerous end-term exams and projects.