TOP THREE
KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: Vaccination Trends Among Children And COVID-19 In Schools
Nearly half (48%) of parents of children ages 12-17 say their child has received at least one dose of a vaccine.
About a third of parents (34%) say they will vaccinate their 5-11 year old child “right away” once a vaccine is authorized for their age group.
Almost one in four parents of a child attending in-person school (23%) say their child has been required to quarantine at home due to a possible COVID-19 exposure since the school year began.
COVID-19–Related School Closures and Learning Modality Changes: Via the CDC
TN, TX, FL, KY, GA, and AL had some of the highest number of closures.
Black Parents Polling: From Ed Choice/Morning Consult. Report and Crosstabs
Black parents are much more likely than both white and Hispanic parents to believe masking should be mandatory. Although, all three groups are less likely to support mandatory vaccinations.
Nearly half of Black parents say they are currently participating in or looking to form/join a learning pod. That reflects an increase of nine points since July.
FEDERAL
Government Shutdown Averted: Congress avoided a midnight government shutdown with a short-term bill through Dec. 3..The bill passed in the Senate with bipartisan support after Democrats stripped language that would have suspended the debt ceiling. It passed in the House 254-175 and now heads to President Biden for a signature.
Infrastructure: After a marathon day of talks, Speaker Nancy Pelosi does not plan to have an infrastructure vote tonight, CNN reports.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
CDC Urges Covid-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy: The CDC issued an urgent health advisory targeting people who are now pregnant, trying to become pregnant, and breastfeeding.
"Covid-19 doubles the risk of ICU admission and increases the risk of death by 70% while also elevating the chances of preterm birth, stillbirth, and NICU admission for newborns"
The Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination on Alpha and Delta Variant Transmission: New study.
"Transmission reductions declined over time since second vaccination, for Delta reaching 42 similar levels to unvaccinated individuals by 12 weeks"
"Vaccination reduces transmission of Delta, but by less than the Alpha variant. The impact of 48 vaccination decreased over time."
STATE
Illinois:
All CPS schools will have COVID-19 testing by Friday.
New CPS CEO says he’ll explore remote learning options but makes no promises
Louisiana: Schools chief announced they no longer recommend that public school systems quarantine asymptomatic students who have come into close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19.
Missouri: Neosho schools see improvement in student performance with “iReady” progress assessment
North Carolina:
Increased demand for COVID-19 testing swamps NC pediatricians |
This mask-optional school district leads the Charlotte region in COVID-19 clusters.
Pennsylvania: State's plan to keep kids in schools: More bus drivers, vaccine clinics and COVID-19 tests.
Tennessee:
TDOE announces 79 districts intend to participate in TN ALL Corps Tutoring, serve nearly 150,000 students over three years
Governor to extend order letting parents opt out of school mask mandates
INTERNATIONAL
UK: Testing asymptomatic children should end, say some experts.
RESOURCES
How Covid-19 Makes Teaching Reading Harder: Via WSJ
What Kind of Fish: Is this?