COVID-19 Policy Update #179
COVID-19 Policy Update
WEDNESDAY 1/13
TOP THREE
Donald Trump Impeached for Second Time:
Becomes the first president in history to be impeached a second time.
The vote was 232 to 197 with four members not voting. 10 Republicans voted for it.
Will face a Senate trial after his term ends. Senators could vote on barring him from future elective office if he is convicted.
Politico has a good update tonight on timing, process, and how to parse some of McConnell's statements.
A First in 150 Years: Via Axios: Jane Campbell, president and CEO of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, said: “The last time soldiers were quartered in the Capitol was during the Civil War. … They were protecting the Union. Now, they’re protecting the Capitol."
CDC Study Finds COVID-19 Outbreaks Aren't Caused By In-Person Classes: A new study published by the CDC found that in-person classes at K-12 schools do not appear to lead to increases in COVID-19 when compared with areas that have online-only learning."
"Among children, adolescents, and young adults, weekly incidence (cases per 100,000 persons) increased with age and was highest during the final week of the review period (the week of December 6) among all age groups."
Reported incidence and positive test results among children aged 0–10 years were consistently lower than those in older age groups."
"In general, trends in incidence and percentage of positive test results among preschool-aged children (0–4 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (5–17 years) paralleled those among adults throughout the summer and fall, including during the months that some schools were reopening or open for in-person education."
"Success in preventing introduction and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in schools depends upon both adherence to mitigation strategies in schools and controlling transmission in communities."
FEDERAL
Next Economic Relief Package: We hear the Biden team could announce their framework as early as tomorrow. The WSJ covers what might be included as does the Washington Post.
ED: Report saying that DeVos considered student loan forgiveness as part of the COVID-19 response, but determined they didn't have the legal authority. Memo here.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Rising Children's Hospitalization: New study from researchers at University of Minnesota who examined 22 states from May to November and found more than 5,300 children hospitalized due to COVID-19.
Utah experienced a 5,067% increase from 0.3 hospitalizations to 15.5 per 100 000 at the high end, compared with a 42% increase from 2.4 to 3.4 per 100 000 in New Hampshire.
New Jersey ranked highest for adult hospitalizations in the sample by November 15 but only seventh highest for pediatric hospitalizations. Indiana also had a significant difference, ranking sixth highest for adult hospitalizations but only thirteenth highest for pediatrics. Similarly, Colorado was thirteenth highest for adult but sixth highest for pediatric hospitalizations.
Vaccine: Johnson & Johnson said it could go to the FDA for EUA by Jan. 21. One major advantage - it requires only one shot compared to the two needed with Pfzier or Moderna. Good explainer from the NYT on how their vaccine works.
Immunity: Moderna says COVID-19 vaccine immunity lasts at least a year
New Concern With Vaccines: People who are vaccinated may stop taking other precautions.
A survey in the UK found 29% of people planned to adhere less strictly to coronavirus restrictions once they have been vaccinated.
The SPI-B warned that modelling suggested people failing to follow COVID rules "could more than offset the benefits of vaccination by increasing infection rates particularly in the early months, before there is a high degree of coverage".
Vaccine Distribution:
I had no idea: CVS has a store within 5 miles of 71% of the US population
I also had no idea: Senior citizens wanting a COVID vaccine in New York face a 51-Step online registration process
Vaccine Hesitancy:
Nearly 2/3 of FDNY have declined or not responded to COVID vaccine request
Axios/Ipsos survey: 60% of Americans say they’re likely to take a vaccine as soon as it’s available to them, up 8 percentage points since mid-December.
STATE
Arkansas: Little Rock School District prepares for distributing vaccine to all school staff
California:
LAUSD board votes to sue state over school reopening proposal. More from Politico.
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office raised concerns about the Governor's reopening plan, saying that the “proposal sets unfeasible time lines”.
Colorado: Denver elementary school children are back in school this week. Most students’ families chose in-person learning when offered a choice. The percentage varied by race and neighborhood. The latest Denver Public Schools data shows that 42% of families in far northeast Denver chose virtual learning, compared with 27% of families in less diverse southeast Denver. About 40% of Black and Hispanic students chose virtual learning, compared with 20% of white students.
Maryland: Almost 90% of Howard County school system staff intend to take COVID-19 vaccine when it’s available
Minnesota: Minneapolis, St. Paul teachers unions oppose school reopening plans.
Nebraska: 85% of teachers in Lincoln Public Schools will get the vaccine once available to them.
New Jersey: 1 in 5 Newark students were chronically absent this fall
New York:
In-person NYC teachers are upset that remote staff offered vaccine at the same time.
UFT says 17,000 teachers interested in getting COVID-19 vaccine
Ohio: The state will prioritize vaccinating teachers who agree to go back to class (full or hybrid) by March 1.
Oregon: Older Oregonians upset teachers set to get COVID-19 vaccine before them.
Virginia Hampton Roads teachers have mixed feelings on COVID-19 vaccine. Middle school math teacher Megan Thorne doesn't plan on getting the vaccine. "Personally for me, the vaccine in itself is a little scary 'cause I feel like it hasn't been tested as well as it could've been."
Wyoming: Wyoming Board of Ed votes to return using 4-1 model
Amanda Stolzenfels, the AFT representative opposed the plan, saying “We are not safe until upwards of 80 percent of the population has been vaccinated.”
INTERNATIONAL
UNICEF: Said "Closing schools should be measure of last resort"
“If children are faced with another year of school closures, the effects will be felt for generations to come”, said Ms. Fore.
Belgium: High schoolers demand to get back in-person learning
Libya: The Ministry of Education's reopened schools. So...Libya...reopened schools...faster than CPS...
UK: Britain's minister in charge of COVID-19 vaccinations favors vaccinating teachers, police ahead of second dose deployment
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
State Roadmap For Workforce Recovery: NGA report with recommendations, examples, and frameworks in four areas:
Expand access to essential support services
Rapidly connect jobseekers to work
Advance digital access and skill development
Enhance job quality for all
Workforce Innovation Network: NGA and the Cognizant U.S. Foundation are inviting states to join a new network that would provide grant funding and technical assistance to rapidly connect unemployed job seekers to essential support services, work or training via people-centered, coordinated-service delivery models.
Increasing Rental Counseling Capacity and Awareness as a Prescription for COVID-19: New report from the Urban Institute
How Cities Should Get Ready for the Biden Stimulus: Advice from Bruce Katz:
National Retail Federation Conference: Nearly half of Walmart shoppers surveyed in November said they're worried about the economy, and 40% said they don't think there will be a fast recovery, said Walmart Chief Customer Officer Janey Whiteside
COVID Lawsuits: Workers filed more than 1,000 COVID related lawsuits against employers in 2020
Apple: Unveiled plans to create a hub for HBCUs and a coding academy based in Detroit as part of their $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative.
CES 2021: Some of the more interesting announcements this week:
Countertop soft-serve ice cream dispenser
Razer’s high-tech face mask keeps you safe from COVID and amplifies your voice, Bane-style
GM announced a new BrightDrop business unit focused on logistics and delivery.
GM announced a flying car concept.
Samsung selfie type invisible AI virtual keyboard
Caterpillar unveiled dinosaur-sized autonomous mining truck
Samsung demoed a robot that will do the dishes and other handy tasks.
RESOURCES
2021 Edelman Trust Barometer: Full Report. “Business is the only institution that is now perceived as being both ethical and competent enough to solve the world's problems.”
"A majority of people around the world believe that journalists, government leaders and business leaders are all purposely trying to mislead people by spreading misinformation."
Bridging the COVID Divide: New Fordham Institute report on how states can measure student achievement growth in the absence of 2020 test scores. Among the findings:
District and school growth estimates based on a single-year gap convey similar information to growth estimates based on data with no gap year.
Student subgroup growth estimates based on gap-year data can also be reliably estimated.
However, just 27% of students attend schools that can generate growth measures if two consecutive years of test scores are missing.
A More Perfect Union: CAP released "A Policy Blueprint for Economic, Social, and International Rebuilding in the Post-COVID-19 Era."
What School Districts Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates: Good piece from K-12 Dive.
Chiefs for Change: on "federal and state officials to immediately release all doses of the vaccine, and to make all teachers and school staff eligible for vaccination now."
Optical Illusion: My brain can't make sense of this Ames window optical illusion.