COVID-19 Policy Update #174
COVID-19 Policy Update
TUESDAY 1/5
TOP THREE
Schools and Community Spread: In a first of its kind study, researchers at the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice examined the impact of school reopenings on hospitalization rates, a novel way to assess actual sickness.
They found no indication that in-person school reopenings increased COVID-19 hospitalizations in countries below 36-44 new COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 per week.
Surprisingly, the researchers found some declines in hospitalizations in these low COVID-19 countries. However, in counties where reopening occurred with higher hospitalization rates, the results were inclusive.
The study included an important caveat that even when schools were open for in-person instruction, they gave families the option of continuing to learn remotely.
Ohio: Gov. DeWine announced the state is no longer recommending students or staff exposed to a student with the virus in a classroom setting quarantine, as long as masks are worn and social distancing protocols are followed.
The Governor said the change is based on a research study conducted in Ohio among more than 700 students, which found students aren’t at an increased risk of contracting COVID in the classroom when protocols are followed.
"Children who were close contacts and appropriately masked had rates of COVID-19 that were similar to children with no known COVID-19 exposure in school. The COVID-19 rate in the comparison group suggests community transmission outside the school setting."
Randi Weingarten: Must read interview with The 74 on school reopenings and teacher vaccinations.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Vaccine Distribution: More than two-thirds of the 15 million coronavirus vaccines shipped within the United States have gone unused. Washington Post has a state-by-state tracker.
1 Dose or 2 Doses? We mentioned in the that there is an emerging debate around dosage. Some are arguing that a single dose may provide enough protection and also stretch limited supplies. More on the debate below:
The U.K. has approved more time between the first and second doses to allow more people to get partially inoculated with the first shot.
Dr. Fauci dismissed the idea of foregoing the second shot because there is not enough data to know what the effect of that might be.
"Making such changes that are not supported by adequate scientific evidence may ultimately be counterproductive to public health."
"We have committed time and time again to make decisions based on data and science. Until vaccine manufacturers have data and science supporting a change, we continue to strongly recommend that health care providers follow the FDA-authorized dosing schedule for each COVID-19 vaccine."
Pfizer warned that there is no data to support delaying the second shot of its vaccine. “The safety and efficacy of the vaccine has not been evaluated on different dosing schedules as the majority of trial participants received the second dose within the window specified in the study design."
The NYT covers the debate, "As Rollout Falters, Scientists Debate New Vaccination Tactics"
Tyler Cowen has a good post "First Doses First? — show your work!"
Yale's Akiko Iwasaki argues the new variant demands a new vaccination strategy. And that "So how effective is a single dose vaccine? We do not know for sure, but for at least a month or more, a single shot mRNA vaccines should provide ~90% protection."
Stat says "Instead of debating ‘first-shot’ vs. ‘set-aside’ vaccine approaches, hospitals’ study should compare them"
Philosophical: "To Beat Covid, Politicians Need to Think Like Philosophers."
“Whether older adults ‘should’ be high priority depends on what we want to achieve through a vaccination policy. And that involves value choices. Distribution of Covid-19 vaccines will need to maximize the public health benefits of the limited availability, or reduce the burden on the NHS, or save as many lives as possible from Covid-19. These are not necessarily the same thing and a choice among them is an ethical choice.”
"Politicians, as a rule, have not treated it as an ethical problem, or presented it to the public as one. So maybe it should not be surprising that confidence in the approach we are taking — or indeed any kind of public unity — remains elusive."
"When it comes to what the vaccine is trying to achieve, there are two broad possibilities: 1. Give the vaccine to those at the greatest risk of dying from the virus. 2. Inoculate people so as to minimize the spread and maximize the impact."
STATE
Alabama: The state extended their free Internet voucher program for students. The program includes approximately 200,000 students statewide
Illinois: 40% of Chicago teachers and staff didn't report to schools as ordered on Monday.
New York:
Gov. Cuomo announced that school districts could stay open in communities with infection rates above 9% if they can show through COVID testing that students/teachers have a lower positivity rate.
Mayor de Blasio said Monday that roughly 100,000 tests performed on-site in school buildings since elementary schools for students with disabilities reopened in early December have yielded a positivity rate of 0.68%.
NYC's ventilation plan includes space heaters, air purifiers, and HVAC filters.
Nevada: Connecting Kids, a task force created to bridge the digital divide for Nevada students, announced it has reached and connected every Nevada K-12 student participating in distance learning, either full- or part-time. All students have confirmed at-home access to the internet and a computer. In August, schools were unable to confirm connectivity for more than 120,000 students.
Oregon: Gov Brown set a Feb. 15 goal for schools “to return students to in-person instruction, especially elementary students.”
INTERNATIONAL
UK: The government closed schools in England with "the heaviest of hearts", Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said. “It’s clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control while our vaccines are rolled out,” Mr. Johnson said in a televised address.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Farmers: "Thanks to the government paying nearly 40% of their income, U.S. farmers are expected to end 2020 with higher profit than 2019 and the best net income in seven years, the Department of Agriculture said in its latest farm income forecast."
Alternative Benefits: COVID-19 and remote working have been a catalyst for alternative benefits. “Remote work has redefined total compensation, as benefits such as in-office perks and commuting stipends are being reallocated to internet subsidies, childcare and four-day work weeks," according to SemperVirens’ Allison Baum Gates
Start Ups: How Washington can boost American entrepreneurship
RESOURCES
Crime Is Up: Huge increase in UK dog theft blamed on COVID-19 restrictions
New Variant and Schools: OpEd from Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health's Joseph G. Allen "Yes, the new variant of coronavirus is alarming. But kids should stay in school."
"Before we get into that, let’s acknowledge that kids can get covid-19 and that kids can die from covid-19. But it’s extremely rare."
"How rare? Literally one in a million for kids 14 and younger, according to a new JAMA study. For those ages 15 to 24, the risk of dying from covid-19 is 1 in 100,000. To put this in context, the study reported that school-age kids are 10 times more likely to die by suicide than covid-19."
"A set of controls must be used to limit how much within-school transmission is happening. By now, this is well understood: masks, hand-washing and enhanced ventilation and filtration."
Racing Into 2021: Jumping into it as much as Bella.