COVID-19 Policy Update #307
COVID-19 Policy Update
FRIDAY 7/30
TOP THREE
CDC and Delta: We now have some of the research and data that the CDC used to recommend masking for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
Documents:
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky: "High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that, unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus. This finding is concerning and was a pivotal discovery leading to CDC’s updated mask recommendation. The masking recommendation was updated to ensure the vaccinated public would not unknowingly transmit virus to others, including their unvaccinated or immunocompromised loved ones."
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on the Provincetown outbreak. 469 COVID-19 cases were identified; 346 (74%) occurred in fully vaccinated persons.
The leaked CDC presentation used to brief Congress. (The Washington Post analyzes the deck and has their data visualization team improve some of the graphics)
Takeaways:
The Delta variant is much more contagious, potentially more severe, but not necessarily deadlier.
Vaccines work in preventing severe disease/death but may be less effective with preventing transmission.
The risk is still higher for unvaccinated individuals. The rate of infection among the unvaccinated is 8x as high as the rate for the vaccinated; Hospitalization is 25x the rate of the vaccinated; Death is 24x the rate of the vaccinated.
Implications:
Good long piece from the Washington Post
STAT: What Delta has changed in the Covid pandemic — and what it hasn’t
The NYT says, "Taken together, the data gathered by the C.D.C. throw into question the country’s plans to return to offices and schools this fall, and revives difficult questions about masking, testing and other precautions that Americans had hoped were behind them."
Dr. Ashish Jha "I know I sound like a broken record. But here's the thing. The vaccines are largely working as expected. We had an outbreak in P-town with lots of vaccinated folks infected. No one died. Very few got sick. And things have returned to normal. This is how vaccines work folks"
Dr. Vinay Prasad: "Delta is not an excuse to not open schools. Let me be clear: if public school closure continues you will have damage so deep---wealth inequality and disparities so massive, that democracy itself will be threatened in <10 years. Listen to people who study tradeoffs."
100 Students Quarantined In First Week of Classes: An Atlanta charter school will quarantine more than 100 students after two students and two employees tested positive for COVID-19 in the first week of classes.
Fall 2021 School Reopening Toolkit: Great new document and compilation of resources from Chiefs for Change
FEDERAL
White House: President Biden called for schools to open for in-person learning
"We can and we must open schools this fall, full time... It's better for our children’s mental and emotional well being, and we can’t afford another year out of the classroom. Every school should be open, and we’re giving them the tools to be able to do so safely."
FDA: Under pressure, plans ‘sprint’ to accelerate review of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for full approval.
"The process requires FDA staff to review millions of pages of complex data, conduct plant inspections, and negotiate with Pfizer over issues including the terms of the FDA’s approved label and the company’s postmarketing responsibilities."
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccinations among Children: Via KFF
Only 7 states are reporting vaccination data by race/ethnicity and age and included an age group for people below age 18
White children were over 4 times as likely to have received a vaccine as Black children in DC (64% vs. 15%) and roughly 2.5 times as likely as Black children in Connecticut (55% vs. 23%).
"The vaccination rate for White children was higher than the rate for Hispanic children in four states (Connecticut, DC, Minnesota, and Wisconsin), although the differences between rates were generally smaller than the differences in rates between White and Black children."
It’s Not Just Partisanship That Drives Vaccination Rates: Via FiveThirtyEight
“Partisanship isn’t the only thing that has shaped Americans’ vaccination status. Unvaccinated Americans tend to be younger, less well-educated and poorer; they are also more likely to be a person of color. The situation we’re in is not just because of politics but also because of access to the vaccine and broader skepticism of the health care system.”
“The younger someone is, the more likely they are to be a person of color, so it’s also unsurprising that Black and Hispanic Americans have lower vaccination rates than non-Hispanic white Americans.”
COVID-19 is Crushing Red States. Why Isn’t Trump Turning His Rallies Into Mass Vaccination Sites? Via Brookings
Popularity of Vaccine Mandates: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they'd support federal, state or local governments requiring everyone to get a coronavirus vaccine, according to a new survey conducted by The COVID States Project.
Big differences in support for mandate with schools: Republican (41%), Democrat (81%), Independent (55%)
One in 12 Unvaccinated Say $100 Would Change Their Mind: Via Economist/YouGov. Full FDA approval also polls high
STATE
California: Confusion over mask mandate for California schools sparks tension between districts and parents
Florida:
Gov. DeSantis says he'll sign executive order making masks in schools optional.
Miami-Dade Public Schools announced that entire classrooms won’t require to quarantine if a student, teacher or staff member falls ill with the novel coronavirus unlike last school year.
California: LA teachers union to test weekly regardless of vaccinated status:
"Vaccines are like seatbelts: necessary but not invincible. Just like we need seatbelts, airbags and speed limits, we need masks, ventilation and testing to keep school communities safe."
Minnesota: The state is kicking off "Vax to School" student vaccination campaign
Wisconsin: 38 parent groups declare they will reject new mask mandates for children
RESOURCES
Kids Are Going Back to School. How Do We Keep Them Safe?: Via NYT
U.S. School Masks Debate Erupts Anew Weeks Before Classes Resume: Via Reuters
High-Impact Tutoring District Playbook: From the National Student Support Accelerator
Restart & Recovery: Addressing Unfinished Learning for the Youngest Learners: New resource from CCSSO that provides strategies state leaders can use to deploy accelerated learning plans to equitably close learning gaps among the youngest learners.
Teachers’ Pandemic Experiences Reveal the Shortcomings of Compliance Culture: Via the Christensen Institute
How to Use the Hidden Search Tabs Feature in Chrome, Safari, and Firefox: As someone who has a million tabs open, I found this helpful.
It's Friday! Can we all agree that CrossFit has finally jumped the shark.