COVID-19 Policy Update #450
Wednesday 3/9
Top Three
Masking Policy Is Incredibly Irrational Right Now: Via Emily Oster.
"Even as adults and older children all over the country fully shake off the pandemic posture, one group has been left behind in the old world: toddlers."
"Some parents of young kids have been driven insane by this policy. I sympathize—because this policy is completely insane."
"Reasonable people can disagree about the efficacy of masks in general. I, for one, believe that masks can be a valuable tool in preventing the spread of the coronavirus in many settings, especially during surges."
"Official policies that treat toddlers differently from older kids are—to put it mildly—puzzling. Moreover, masking may not even make much of a difference for viral spread in child-care settings."
"The study also serves as a reminder that the CDC is and was unusual in recommending that very young children wear masks. Whereas the CDC advised masking in children 2 and up, the World Health Organization set the bar at 6, and many countries set it even higher. Nor did our conservative policies result in better outcomes."
Did Covid Precautions Work?: Asks the NYT's David Leonhardt:
“The answer is surprisingly unclear.”
“Nationwide, the number of official Covid cases has recently been somewhat higher in heavily Democratic areas than Republican areas… That comparison doesn’t fully answer the question, though, because Democratic areas were also conducting more tests, and the percentage of positive tests tended to be somewhat higher in Republican areas.”
“No single statistic offers a definitive answer. When I look at all the evidence, I emerge thinking that liberal areas probably had slightly lower Omicron infection rates than conservative areas. But it is difficult to be sure.”
"The lack of a clear pattern is itself striking. Remember, not only have Democratic voters been avoiding restaurants and wearing masks; they are also much more likely to be vaccinated and boosted (and vaccines substantially reduce the chances of infection). Combined, these factors seem as if they should have caused large differences in case rates."
"The second lesson is that interventions other than vaccination — like masking and distancing — are less powerful than we might wish. How could this be, given that scientific evidence suggests that mask wearing and social distancing can reduce the spread of a virus?"
"Early in the Omicron wave, at least one expert accurately predicted this seeming paradox. Dr. Christopher Murray, the founder of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, wrote an article for The Lancet, a medical journal, arguing that interventions like masks would have “limited impact on the course of the Omicron wave.”
"Together, these two lessons can point the way to a sensible approach to Covid in the coming months. One, nothing matters nearly as much as vaccination. A continued push to persuade skeptics to get shots — and to make sure that people are receiving booster shots — will save lives."
"Two, there is a strong argument for continuing to remove other restrictions, and returning to normal life, now that Omicron caseloads have fallen 95 percent from their peak. If those restrictions were costless, then their small benefits might still be worth it. But of course they do have costs."
$1.5 Trillion Omnibus Bill: Text came out early this morning. More via Politico.
A full summary of the 12 regular appropriations bills.
Summary of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
Education highlights:
Provides a total of $76.4 billion in discretionary appropriations for ED, an increase of $2.9 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level.
$17.5 billion for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies, an increase of $1 billion
$14.5 billion for Special Education, an increase of $448 million
$82 million, an increase of $15 million, for grants for evidence-based, field-initiated innovations that address student social, emotional, and cognitive needs within the Education Innovation and Research program
$75 million, an increase of $45 million, for Full-Service Community Schools to provide comprehensive services and expand evidence-based models that meet the holistic needs of children, families, and communities
Mental Health highlights:
$111 million for ED's School Safety National Activities for Mental Health Services Professional Demonstration Grants and School-Based Mental Health Services Grants, an increase of $95 million over the FY 2021 enacted level.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – The bill funds SAMHSA at $6.5 billion – an increase of $530 million
$2 billion, an increase of $288.8 million, including an $100 million increase to the Mental Health Block Grant (MHBG), making investments across the behavioral health continuum to support prevention, screening, treatment, and other services.
Mental health resources for children and youth: $120 million for Project AWARE, an increase of $13 million; $81.8 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, an increase of $10 million; and $10 million for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, an increase of $2 million.
Early Childhood highlights:
Early childhood education programs receive an increase of $558 million above the FY 2021 enacted level:
$6.2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant, an increase of $254 million;
$11 billion for Head Start, an increase of $289 million; and
$290 million for Preschool Development Grants, an increase of $15 million
Democrats Drop New Covid Relief from Spending Bill: Via NYT:
“Democratic leaders abruptly abandoned efforts to win approval of $15.6 billion in emergency pandemic response aid to fund the Biden administration’s new coronavirus strategy, announcing they would drop the package from a sprawling, $1.5 trillion spending bill amid disputes about how to cover the cost."
“But as rank-and-file lawmakers began to comb through the package Wednesday morning, only hours before it was slated for a vote, some Democrats objected to that proposal, particularly the idea of clawing back assistance that states have been counting on.”
Via Punchbowl: "Democratic lawmakers from states such as Minnesota, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, Washington State and Maine said they came out short-changed by this move. Leadership estimated that nearly 70 of their lawmakers were upset about this offset. The governors from those states also feel completely caught off guard and were mightily pissed. The National Governors Association wrote a letter to Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Tuesday expressing their opposition, as well. House Democrats from the affected states said they would vote against the rule for debate for the omnibus funding bill and the bill to ban Russian oil imports. Pelosi could not afford many defections on the rule, which is usually passed on a party-line vote.”
Federal
HHS: Fact Sheet: Biden Administration Launches Nationwide Test-to-Treat Initiative Ensuring Rapid ‘On the Spot’ Access to Lifesaving COVID Treatments
NTIA: Senators Blumenthal and Markey urge NTIA to "implement measures that promote net neutrality" as part of administering the broadband provisions of the infrastructure package.
COVID-19 Research
Every State Has Moved to End Mask Mandates: Reports ABC News.
Effect of mRNA Vaccine Boosters Against Omicron Infection: Study in NEJM. "The messenger RNA (mRNA) boosters were highly effective against symptomatic delta infection, but they were less effective against symptomatic omicron infection. However, with both variants, mRNA boosters led to strong protection against Covid-19–related hospitalization and death."
Long COVID Mini-Series: Kids: Via Katelyn Jetelina.
Omicron vs Delta Transmissibility: UKHSA preprint.
"Analysis of contact tracing data identified elevated secondary attack rates for Omicron vs Delta in household (15.0% vs 10.8%) and non-household (8.2% vs 3.7%) settings."
"The proportion of index cases resulting in residential clustering was twice as high for Omicron (16.1%) compared to Delta (7.3%)."
Maintaining Face Mask Use Before and After Achieving Different COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Levels: New study which found masks achieved reduced hospitalizations, cost savings, and enhanced productivity.
Poll: From Morning Consult/Politico:
Currently, do you believe it’s more important for the government to address the:
The spread of coronavirus: 31%
The economy: 62%
Even if none are exactly correct, which of the following comes closest to your opinion?
It is too early for states to rescind mask mandates: 31%
It is the right time for states to rescind mask mandates: 30%
States should have already rescinded their mask mandates: 17%
States should have never had mask mandates: 14%
State
California:
Via the LA Times, "Is it too risky for kids to go maskless at school and day care? What experts say."
Via Yahoo News, "Why L.A. could be the last school district in America to lift its mask mandate."
Connecticut: CRPE's Christine Pitts and Bree Dusseault say Connecticut’s strategy for tracking and reporting how COVID funds are spent is one to watch.
Florida: "Florida Department of Health Issues New Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendations for Children"
Minnesota: Teachers hit picket lines in Minneapolis as parents worry.
New York: Via Chalkbeat, "Here’s how NYC schools are spending $7 billion in COVID federal relief."
North Carolina: "Homeschooling oversight: With over 100,000 students in homeschool, NC lawmakers consider increased tracking."
Economic Recovery
These Bipartisan Solutions Can Help Ease America’s Labor Crisis: Via Burning Glass Institute's Matt Sigelman and KKR partner Ken Mehlman:
"The workforce we have won’t be the workforce we need unless workers gain skills and move ahead. Yet only 44% of those born in the late 1980s out-earn their parents, down from 90% for those born in 1940."
"Our research shows that, across the economy, a third of the skills required in the average occupation today are different from those needed just a decade ago."
"Pursuing four areas of broad bipartisan appeal can enable us to deliver on this promise."
Focus on the jobs that move the needle for American competitiveness.
Prepare students for the jobs that matter.
Build the skills of our existing workforce.
Don’t leave anyone behind.
Child Care Worker Shortage: Via Axios.
Resources
More States Are Allowing Students to Take ‘Mental Health Days.’ But Could the Practice Backfire?: Via The 74.
This Might Be Worse Than The Pandemic: "An invasive species of spider the size of a child's hand is expected to “colonize” the entire East Coast this spring by using its webs as tiny, terrifying parachutes to travel with the wind," reports Axios.
Code For America: A new vision for the Code for America Network
Cybersecurity Firm Says Chinese Hackers Breached Six US State Agencies: Including higher education agencies, according to CNN.
Telehealth Policy Flexibilities Introduced During COVID May Be Extended: Via Stat.
Proposing a New School Calendar for the Age of COVID: Via Elizabeth Dunn in The Atlantic.
"Many experts believe that the coronavirus will settle into an endemic seasonal pattern, like the flu, meaning that case counts could rise in colder months for years to come and the winter could continue to be an attendance train wreck for schools. Particularly for the many American families in which both parents are employed, this would be a nightmare scenario."
"I don’t pretend to have a solution, but I do have one modest suggestion to improve the situation: Send kids to school all summer and shift their long break to the winter. Though the months of March through November won’t proceed COVID-free, rejiggering the calendar would open up three seasons for relatively dependable schooling."
Pandemic Tech Tools That Are Here to Stay: Via EdWeek.
Off2Class to Host Virtual ESL Career Week for US K-12 Districts:"Through its first-ever Virtual ESL Career Week, Off2Class aims to connect ESL teachers from within its community with U.S. K-12 districts that are looking to fill ESL teaching jobs."
Explorers and Researchers Have Located Endurance, Ernest Shackleton’s Ship That Sank in the Antarctic in 1915: Press release which includes pictures and video. More via the NYT, WSJ, and CNN.
The story of the Endurance and Shackleton is just incredible :
Endurance was part of the ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, in which Shackleton was hoping to become the first to cross the continent on land. But the ship never reached Antarctica itself, spending much of 1915 trapped in ― and slowly crushed by ― pack ice.
Shackleton and the 27 others (including dogs!) on the expedition lived on the trapped ship. As it was crushed, however, they were forced to take what supplies they could and move onto the drifting ice.
On Nov. 21, 1915, after 10 months of being trapped in the ice, Endurance sank.
The crew lived on the ice for nearly 5 months. Using lifeboats, they eventually reached Elephant Island, but were still separated by hundreds of miles of rough seas from any inhabited land.
Shackleton and five of his crew journeyed some 800 miles in one of Endurance’s lifeboats, the James Caird, to reach a whaling station on South Georgia Island, where they arranged a rescue mission back to Elephant Island for the rest of the crew.
Everyone survived the ordeal, which lasted more than 2 years.
Incredible photographs by Frank Hurley captured the saga. Also a great book that pulls from the diaries the men kept.
School Staff Saw a Custodian Was Walking To Work: They pitched in and bought him a car. More via The Washington Post.
“But several teachers said they sensed something was wrong when they learned that Jackson was living in a motel and noticed that he was walking to work in hot or rainy weather, said special education teacher Jodi Combs.”
“We raised some funds right away to take care of Chris’s immediate needs, but when we learned he was trying to save up for a car, we set some of the donations aside, thinking we could help him out and maybe pay for tags and insurance,” said Combs.”
“Within an hour, said MacDonald, they had enough donations to buy the car, plus cover the license plates and a few months of insurance with the money they had previously set aside.”