The back-to-school season typically coincides with the annual resurgence of colds and allergies. But this year, there’s a COVID pandemic layered on top.

Some parents are wondering how to tell the difference between regular sniffles and ones caused by the delta variant. Others who have kids with asthma wonder if their children should forgo in-person classes altogether.

Meanwhile, it’s unclear how many New York City teachers will be fully vaccinated on day one, but the latest numbers show at least a quarter are unvaccinated with a less than week before the first day of school. On Thursday's Morning Edition, host Michael Hill and WNYC health and science editor Nsikan Akpan walked through a clinical guide to heading back to school.

Click "listen" in the player to hear more details.