COVID-19 Policy Update #299
COVID-19 Policy Update
TUESDAY 7/20
TOP THREE
Schools Can Reopen Safely for In-person Learning: New report from Resolve to Save Lives confirms schools can reopen safely for in-person learning if using layered protection measures. Read the entire report but here is a fact sheet for those that need the high level summary.
"The Prevent Epidemics team found that COVID-19 case rates are consistently lowest among children aged 0-10 years old, and that few children get severely ill."
"Children also spread COVID-19 less than adults, and schools have not been major drivers of community transmission—especially when protection measures are in place. Studies of schools in Australia and Europe found that the few outbreaks that were associated with schools typically involved 10 cases or fewer."
“Schools must reopen and stay open to avoid the cascade of societal burdens caused by remote schooling, as well as further educational, economic, and social damage that closures cause,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies. “Keeping schools open is possible, but it is crucial that they implement a series of layered protections.”
"Closing schools for in-person learning is deeply detrimental to the education and physical and mental health of children, as well as to the health and function of society."
Abundant evidence shows that transmission and risk of outbreaks in schools can be reduced using layered mitigation measures (Promoting vaccination; Consistent and correct mask use; Ventilation; Physical distancing; Screening testing and contact tracing to promptly identify cases, clusters, and outbreaks; Handwashing and respiratory etiquette; Staying home when sick and getting tested; Cleaning and disinfection"
SEL MTSS Toolkit for State and District Leaders: CCSSO, CASEL, and AIR released a toolkit to support leaders who are interested in explicitly incorporating social and emotional learning (SEL) within a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) framework.
The toolkit was developed with the support of the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) and in collaboration with leaders in nine states that participated in a related community of practice.
CCSSO also partnered with the Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) and the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) to create a guide for states on leveraging COVID relief funding and Medicaid to support student and staff wellbeing and connection.
120,000 Children Lost a Caregiver: Internal CDC data suggests that nearly 120,000 children in US have lost a primary caregiver to COVID-19.
"The figures are particularly staggering in comparison to a JAMA Pediatric study published in early April, which estimated approximately 40,000 children in the U.S. had lost a parent to COVID-19."
FEDERAL
Breakthrough Cases Come to Washington DC: A fully vaccinated White House official tested positive although the White House Medical Unit determined the individual had no close contacts among White House principals and staff.
"The breakthrough case comes as multiple members of a Texas delegation to Washington, D.C., tested positive, despite being fully vaccinated."
"Psaki confirmed to CBS News senior White House and political correspondent Ed O'Keefe that there have been other breakthrough cases in the White House that were not previously disclosed."
"Several fully vaccinated individuals on the Hill have tested positive for the virus — including the first known member of Congress since January"
Fauci on Mandatory Vaccinations for Schools: He said one day a COVID vaccine could be required for kids to return back to school.
“I would not be surprised that in the future this is something that would be seriously considered, depending upon how we handle the outbreak."
It's Infrastructure Week!: Sen. Schumer was hoping to set up a test vote for the package tomorrow but it looks like it may get delayed to next week. The bipartisan working group is saying the need until Monday to finish up the legislative drafting.
FCC: The NFL released a PSA for the Emergency Broadband Benefit. More from the NFL Players Association.
Child Tax Credit Payments: Helpful table from the Tax Foundation with state-by-state estimates of number of qualifying children and average size of payments.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Vaccination Rates: Cause for concern:
38% of 12-17 year olds are vaccinated.
High state: Vermont with 68%
Low state: Mississippi with 12%
The Vaccine-Parent Gap: New report on vaccine resistance among parents from the COVID States Project.
"However, among Democrats, Black parents remain by far the most vaccination resistant group, followed by Hispanic Democrats, then White Democrats, due in part to lower levels of trust in government and healthcare institutions."
"Support for school vaccine mandates has grown substantially from 54.4% in the winter to 61.3% in the summer"
"Parents' willingness to vaccinate their children varies widely by party with a 23- point gap between Democrats (7.2%) and Republicans (30.7%)."
Parents’ Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines for Kids: New survey from Sykes.
"In a multiple-selection question, nearly half of respondents said they were waiting for more long-term data on vaccine effectiveness, while others said they would be reassured by knowing friends or family whose children were vaccinated without issue."
64% of parents feel a level of guilt for not getting their kids vaccinated.
Nearly 1 in 5 do not feel informed about the effectiveness of the vaccine among children.
The "Nudge-able" and "Unbudge-able": Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. More here.
"The best prospect was a scenario in which they could get the vaccine at their regular doctor's office. But even then, 55% said they'd remain not at all likely and only 7% said they'd be "very likely" to do it. That leaves a combined 35% who are either somewhat likely or not very likely but haven't ruled it out."
"The Biden administration's Olivia Rodrigo play won't reach a lot of the holdouts, according to these results: 70% said the endorsement of a celebrity or public figure they like is "not at all likely" to get them to take a shot, and just 4% said they'd be "very likely" to do it. But another combined 24% could be somewhat in play."
How to Reach the Unvaccinated: Interesting Ross Douthat column in the NYT.
"The vaxxed-unvaxxed divide is widest between Democrats and Republicans, but it’s also an education divide, an age divide, a gender divide, a racial divide, an urban-rural divide, an insured-uninsured divide and more."
"Likewise, lots of groups are more likely to be hesitant than firmly resistant, but they still have overall vaccination rates close to the rate for Republican constituencies. Black adults, for instance, have a vaccination rate of 60 percent, while Hispanics stand at 63 percent, both close to the white-evangelical rate of 58 percent."
"Support for vaccine mandates for children is similarly soft: While 52 percent of Americans support vaccine mandates in K-12 education, it falls to 37 percent among parents with children under 18 years, and only 45 percent of Democrats with kids under 12 intend to vaccinate them as soon as a vaccine is available."
"In a polarized landscape with widely distrusted institutions, a more patient approach seems much more civically healthy: a mix of local outreach, public health guidance that consistently promises normalcy as a benefit of vaccination (and doesn’t withdraw it arbitrarily), and actually arguing with skeptics."
"As for the ethical doubts, like the fear of exploiting have-nots who take the vaccine just for the money, I don’t see how imposing lockdowns and long-term school closures, with all their disproportionate negative effects on lower-income workers and parents, can pass an ethical test but paying people to get vaccinated does not."
NIH to Study Long COVID in Kids: Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. and the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease are launching a $40 million study to examine long COVID and multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children.
Health Action Alliance: With resources for employers including a toolkit and decision tool to assist with reopening strategies and protecting their employees.
STATE
DC: CityBridge launched CityTutor DC which is partnering with schools, tutoring providers, institutes of higher education, and civic partners to expand the scope and impact of quality tutoring opportunities for DC’s students.
"They aim to support 10,000 kindergarten through 8th grade public school students with high-impact tutoring"
"CityTutor Hubs will serve as gathering spaces for students and trained tutors to build trusted partnerships as students grow in their academic achievement."
A database lists available tutors and a resource bank has information for schools and families.
Maryland: Parents of nearly 3,500 Baltimore County students (3% of all students) are choosing online learning for next year.
Michigan: There will be at least 18 new, full-time virtual school options available to Michigan students this coming school year, most operated by traditional school districts that also will offer in-person instruction
New York: One NYC council member is saying the DOE should offer a fall remote option for kids not of vaccination age and have it run by central rather than by individual schools.
INTERNATIONAL
UK: The number of children absent from school last week due to COVID reached 1 million. It was 250,000 back in June. Some schools are closing early for the rest of the year.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Recession Lasted Just 2 Months: NBER statement. "The U.S. economic recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic officially ended in April 2020."
Makes this the shortest recession on record. More from CNBC
Back to School Shopping: Target, Walmart, Shipt and H.E. Butt Grocery are teaming with mobile rewards program Ibotta to give out free care packages that include notebooks, pencils, peanut butter, jelly and bread to kids in need during the back-to-school season.
Advancing Economic Development in Persistently Poor Communities: The Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Research and National Technical Assistance program awarded a $500,093 grant to the Economic Innovation Group (EIG) to study the circumstances of, and investigate the factors that have contributed to, persistent poverty and chronic under-development in communities across the country.
Bloomberg Philanthropies Recognizes 16 U.S. Cities For Using Data Most Effectively: 16 newly certified cities this year include four cities at the Gold level – Austin, TX; Chattanooga, TN; Detroit, MI; and Gilbert, AZ – and 12 cities at the Silver level: Baton Rouge, LA; Bellevue, WA; Fort Collins, CO; Glendale, AZ; Irving, TX; Little Rock, AR; Madison, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Norfolk, VA; Portland, OR; San Antonio, TX; and Syracuse, NY.
RESOURCES
A Safe and Welcoming School Year for All: Via Randi Weingarten
"Educators have just been through the second-most challenging year of their professional lives. What’s the most challenging year? The one that starts this fall. Students will return to school with enormous needs. There still won’t be enough school counselors, psychologists or nurses. Far too many schools still need safety improvements. And there will be enormous pressure to make up for lost time."
"There are continued risks, particularly from the delta variant, which is causing alarming increases in infections in places with low vaccination rates."
"Some concerns have nothing to do with COVID-19. Parents whose children have been bullied; have experienced racism, antisemitism or anti-Asian bigotry; or have not been well-served academically, may see remote learning as a refuge."
Now’s The Time for States to Invest in Making Online Learning Better: Via Travis Pillow at CRPE
Can A.I. Grade Your Next Test?: Via NYT - Neural networks could give online education a boost by providing automated feedback to students.
"Dr. Finn and her team built a neural network, a mathematical system that can learn skills from vast amounts of data."
"The Stanford system spent hours analyzing examples from old midterms, learning from a decade of possibilities. Then it was ready to learn more. When given just a handful of extra examples from the new exam offered this spring, it could quickly grasp the task at hand."
"This spring, the system provided 16,000 pieces of feedback, and students agreed with the feedback 97.9 percent of the time, according to a study by the Stanford researchers. By comparison, students agreed with the feedback from human instructors 96.7 percent of the time."
Personalized Learning’s Big Test Is Coming This School Year: Long piece in EdWeek
Transcript: Opportunity in Crisis: Investing in educational equity with Linda Darling-Hammond & DeRionne Pollard
No, You Beg: Adopting a dog in New York City has started to feel more competitive than getting into college, Allie Conti writes in New York Magazine's cover story.
"Others, like Zainab, figured out ways to work the system. She blanketed agencies with applications in the early months of the pandemic, applying for 60 dogs. (The ease of applying online might also explain the statistics.) She thought the fact that she had a leadership role in public education would demonstrate that she was both successful and nurturing. “I’m a professional, I make good money, and I have a master’s degree,” she tells me. She was rejected all the same. Finally, a co-worker suggested Zainab make a résumé in order to stand out. The multipage document — which features testimonials from high-powered friends, including local elected officials — is what got her an exclusive meeting with Penny the pug in a parking lot. She was handed over with a leash tied around her neck and vomited in the front seat of Zainab’s car about three blocks later. Success!:"
Bearapalooza: 17 Brown Bears at Brooks Falls. It's on my bucket list to photograph these bears some day.