TOP THREE
Fauci: Told CNN the pandemic could be under control by next spring — but only if enough Americans get vaccinated before then.
“We hope we’ll be there… but there’s no guarantee because it’s up to us. If we keep lingering without getting those people vaccinated that should be vaccinated, this thing could linger on and lead to the development of another variant.
Off Label: The FDA’s approval means doctors can now legally administer the Pfizer shots "off-label" to children 11 and younger, who have not been eligible for the shots so far.
Via Stat, "That worries the AAP which followed the FDA’s announcement with a message to pediatricians: Don’t do it."“We do not want individual physicians to be calculating doses and dosing schedules one-by-one for younger children based on the experience with the vaccine in older patients,” Yvonne Maldonado."
Boosters: New survey results from The Harris Poll. 56% are very likely to get a booster shot. BUT... More than half of respondents also said the need for boosters has impacted their confidence in the vaccine they've already received. Half of vaccinated white respondents said their confidence had been impacted, compared with two-thirds of Black and Asian/Pacific Islander respondents and 60% of Hispanic respondents.
FEDERAL
ED: Released guidance which "Reaffirms Importance of Full Implementation of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic."
Reconciliation Bill: A day after a stand-off between the Speaker and moderate Democrat members the House passed a rule approving a $3.5 trillion budget resolution. The vote was 220-212. Statement from the Speaker.
Will clear the way for using the reconciliation process for portions of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Family Plan.
The moderate members got an agreement that the House will consider the bipartisan infrastructure bill by Sept. 27.
CEA: Released a blog making the case for why the Infrastructure and Build Back Better Plans will not lead to more inflation. One of their arguments is:
"Each worker may also become more productive on average as a result of education and skills training, access to better equipment and infrastructure (“capital deepening”), or general innovation and technology advances (“total-” or “multi-factor productivity”)."
COVID-19 RESEARCH
One Additional Benefit of Full FDA Approval: It allows the companies to advertise the vaccine, something not permitted under EUA. More via Dr. Fauci on CNBC.
Mask Debate:
Biden Backs School Districts in Fight Against GOP Mask Mandate Bans, via Vox.
Who has the power to say kids do or don’t have to wear masks in school – the governor or the school district? It’s not clear, via The Conversation.
Federal COVID Aid a Flash Point as Tensions Escalate Over School Mask Policies, via EdWeek
"That does not mean that requiring masks is a prerequisite for ARP funding, an Education Department spokesperson said in response to questions from Education Week. But Cardona stressed in his letters that states that tie districts’ hands on the issue may be standing in the way of creating their aid plans."
STATE
Florida: Pediatric cases in children ages 5 to 14 make up roughly 20% of all new COVID-19 cases in the county, making them the age group contributing the most new infections in the area.
Indiana:
More than 3,500 new student cases reported to state
Public schools offering permanent online learning.
Maryland: Gov. Hogan calls for expedited approval of COVID-19 vaccine in children under 12.
Michigan: University of Michigan survey finds that Detroiters living with children half as likely to have gotten COVID-19 vaccine.
New York: De Blasio pressed to offer NYC remote-school option.
"De Blasio has said the city will not offer a remote option and does not have a Plan B to offer virtual schooling in case rising coronavirus cases shutter schools again"
Tennessee: Commissioner Schwinn while visiting a school destroyed by this week's flood: "It’s hard to describe the emotion of seeing the destruction caused by the floods. Lives lost, homes destroyed, schools torn apart. It was even harder to hear about those still missing. School systems and teachers will always come together for one another and for kids."
Texas:
Iraan-Sheffield Independent School District shut down after only five days of classes because about a quarter of the staff and 16% of the students got infected or were exposed to Covid-19.
Rice University discovers dozens of COVID-19 false positives, days after shifting classes online
Utah:
Parents sue state for banning school districts from enacting mask mandates
Another 2,731 contract COVID-19, and nearly 20% are school-age kids
Washington: Spokane Catholic Bishop challenges Gov. Inslee's vaccine mandate for teachers.
"The Diocese of Spokane clarified that Bishop Daly's position on COVID-19 vaccines is not opposing the Pope's encouragement to take the vaccine, nor is this statement meant to oppose the Governor's mandate. Instead it looks at how people who want to object for a reason of religion or conscience may do so in accord with church teaching, especially in light of the guidance that has been given by the Vatican."
INTERNATIONAL
UK: The Guardian reports that UK Covid deaths are averaging 100 a day with fears of rise when schools return. Seven-day average is now the highest since March as children in Scotland return to the classroom.
ECONOMIC RECOVERY
The Economic Case for Letting in as Many Refugees as Possible: Via Vox: Save America’s declining cities. Bring in the refugees.
"The authors of the EIG report propose a similar, innovative policy proposal: place-based visas, called “heartland visas,” that would bring immigrants to the US to live in communities “facing the consequences of demographic stagnation” and in desperate need of new entrants"
Supply-Chain Problems: Great piece in the NYT on the supply chain problems plaguing businesses and contributing to rising prices.
"Earlier this month, container shipping rates from China and East Asia to the United States’ East Coast climbed above $20,000, compared with about $4,000 a year ago..."
RESOURCES
FDA Approval: What This Means for Your Business: Resources from the Health Action Alliance for employers.
LearnLaunch's Building Blocks Framework: Guidance and resources for reopening schools.
‘Things Are Changing Fast’: More Schools Requiring Masks for All, Vaccines for Teachers:Via Chalkbeat
Children and COVID: Your Questions Answered:Good episode from The Daily.
This School Year Is Going to Be a Mess—Again: The Atlantic
"Delta does not require a complete overhaul of school mitigation strategies compared with last year. The same tools still work. “Delta may be more transmissible, but it can’t defy the laws of physics,” says Amanda Simanek, a public-health researcher at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee."
"There’s no single intervention that’s the magic bullet, but a set of layered interventions can work together to stop COVID. I would say it’s still true for Delta. It’s just that you need more,” says Meagan Fitzpatrick, an infectious-disease modeler at the University of Maryland School of Medicine."
"The problem, however, is that many schools across the country are doing less rather than more."
Imagine An Episode of The Office: Where they all need to get COVID vaccines...
Just a Puppy: Hopping along with his bunny best friend.