TOP THREE
Boosters: The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee met today. Stat has a great live blog of the discussions throughout the day.
The panel voted 16-2 against distributing boosters to individuals 16 and older.
The panel voted unanimously to support an EUA for boosters for those 65 and older and those at a high risk of suffering from severe illness.
We saw some of the data from Pfzier and Israel making the case for boosters (first slide if from Pfzier's deck showing side effects; rest of the graphs are from Israel).
The votes are non-binding. The FDA could still recommend boosters (but likely won't). The CDC meets next week to consider the issue.
Related: How Fauci and the NIH Got Ahead of the FDA and CDC in Backing Boosters
Children and COVID-19: State-Level Data Report
Georgia ARP Spending: Incredible spreadsheet compiled by GeorgiaCAN showing how districts plan to use ARP funds.
FEDERAL
ED: Released the application for the Project SAFE Grants.
Reconciliation:
“President Biden failed to persuade Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) to agree to spending $3.5 trillion on the Democrats’ budget reconciliation package during their Oval Office meeting on Wednesday,” Axios reports.
“Defying a president from his own party — face-to-face — is the strongest indication yet Manchin is serious about cutting specific programs and limiting the price tag of any potential bill to $1.5 trillion. His insistence could blow up the deal for progressives and others.”
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Childhood Obesity Accelerated During the Pandemic: New CDC report
"Among a cohort of 432,302 persons aged 2–19 years, the rate of body mass index (BMI) increase approximately doubled during the pandemic compared to a prepandemic period. Persons with prepandemic overweight or obesity and younger school-aged children experienced the largest increases."
Scientists Examine Kids’ Unique Immune Systems as More Fall Victim to Covid: Via KHN
STATE
California:
Governor Newsom highlights new in-person student rates.
Over the last three weeks, coronavirus cases declined across all pediatric age groups by about 40%, according to L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
Idaho: The state declares statewide hospital crisis
“Idaho hospitals are so overwhelmed with the surge in coronavirus cases that doctors and nurses have to contact dozens of regional hospitals across the West in hopes of finding places to transfer individual critical patients,” NBC News reports.
“The situation has grown so bad that the Idaho Department of Health and Wellness announced Thursday that the entire state is in a hospital resource crisis, permitting medical facilities to ration health care and triage patients.”
Kentucky: Gov. Beshear slams school leaders that refuse to require masks.
Michigan: Data published by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services show that those primarily impacted are kids and teens ages 10-19, with a 38% jump in new infections.
Massachusetts: Boston Globe Editorial: Schools must meet students’ mental health needs: As they return to the classroom, youths urgently need access to mental health providers and counselors.
New Jersey: Teacher shortage leaves Newark schools with 120 unfilled positions.
Oklahoma: Districts can join in-school COVID-19 testing program, Health Department announces
Pennsylvania: Shutdowns, testing, quarantines have become a maze for Philadelphia parents to navigate.
INTERNATIONAL
Cambodia: Vaccinating 6-to-11-year-olds before schools reopen
Cuba: Begins vaccinating children as young as 2
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Back to School Sales Boost Retail Data: US retail sales rose 0.7% in August, beating economists' forecasts of about a 0.8% decline, despite a rise in COVID-19 cases related to the Delta variant.
Spending by back-to-school shoppers buoyed results, with general merchandise sales growing 3.5% and online and other non-store sales increasing 5.3%
RESOURCES
Pandemic Testing Gaps Complicate Ability to Pinpoint Struggling Schools at a Time When Students Need Extra Help: Via The 74
Parents of Students With Disabilities Try to Make Up for Lost Year: In NYC, the shift to remote learning “exacerbated pre-existing achievement gaps” for the 200,000 thousand students with disabilities.
Parenting a Child Under 12 in the Age of Delta: ‘It’s Like a Fire Alarm Every Day’: Via the Washington Post
“I feel like we’re constantly reacting,” said Contreras, who lives in Santa Fe, N.M. “There’s not enough time to be proactive. It’s like a fire alarm every day.”
"I’m waiting for the shoe to drop,” Blankenship, 45, said. “I feel fortunate I have a job, a home, a computer and a supportive employer, but it does not change the stress I have knowing my daughter did not have a real year of school last year and how important it is for her social-emotional well-being.”
Seaside T-Rex: Spotted this week.