Top Three
Moderna Says Redesigned Covid Booster Provides Better Protection: Moderna said that its modified Covid-19 booster shot, designed to target two strains of the coronavirus, generated a strong immune response against multiple variants of concern, including omicron. Press Release and Study.
CNBC reports, "The company said the modified shot appeared to offer even stronger protection against the virus than its existing booster, which is still formulated to target the original form of the coronavirus identified in late 2019.
"We believe that these results validate our bivalent strategy," said Stéphane Bancel, Moderna's chief executive officer, in a news release. Bancel added that another bivalent vaccine that combines the original strain with the omicron strain "remains our lead candidate" for a fall vaccination campaign aimed at protecting people against a winter surge. Results from the testing of that version are expect later this spring, according to Moderna. "We believe that a bivalent booster vaccine, if authorized, would create a new tool as we continue to respond to emerging variants," Bancel said."
"Health officials have made clear that giving boosters every few months isn’t the answer to the mutating virus. They’ve begun deliberating how to decide if and when to change the vaccine recipe. Just switching to a vaccine that targets the latest variant is risky, because the virus could mutate again. So Moderna and its rival Pfizer both are testing what scientists call “bivalent” shots — a mix of each company’s original vaccine and an omicron-targeted version," the AP reports.
Masks: Biden says Americans should decide for themselves if they want to wear masks on public transportation, the NYT reports.
"President Biden said that Americans should decide for themselves whether to wear masks, undercutting efforts by his administration to urge Americans to keep wearing face coverings on airplanes, trains and buses even after a federal judge struck down a nationwide mask mandate on public transport."
"Biden said the decision to wear a mask is “up to them.”
“The patchwork of messaging contributed to confusion less than 24 hours after the ruling was handed down. The president, caught somewhere between politics and science, left it up to Americans to make their own choices. His press secretary urged Americans to follow existing health guidance, because that is what the president would be doing. And Dr. Ashish K. Jha, the administration’s coronavirus response coordinator, said on Twitter that he was disappointed in the ruling and that he, for one, would still wear masks on planes."
“White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday didn’t rule out appealing a federal judge’s ruling that struck down the CDC’s mask requirement for planes, trains and other public transportation, saying that the Biden administration is awaiting a decision from the Justice Department about how to proceed,” Politico reports.
Hospitalizations of Children Aged 5–11 Years: New CDC report.
"Among 397 children hospitalized during the Omicron-predominant period, 87% were unvaccinated, 30% had no underlying medical conditions, and 19% were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU)"
"The cumulative hospitalization rate during the Omicron predominant period was 2.1 times as high among unvaccinated children as among vaccinated."
"Non-Hispanic Black (Black) children accounted for the largest proportion of unvaccinated children (34%) and represented approximately one third of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations in this age group.”
Federal
White House: Released a Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook.
Midterms: Via Politico, "We rated every race in play in 2022. This is who we think will win."
Covid-19 Research
CDC Forecasting: "New CDC team: A weather service to forecast what’s next in pandemic"
"We think of ourselves like the National Weather Service, but for infectious diseases,” said Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist and associate director for science at the initiative, run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
"About 100 scientists will analyze technical data and communicate policy options to decision-makers and the public about how the virus is behaving and who is most at risk — in user-friendly terms."
“We would love to be able for people to look to us to say, ‘I’m about to commute on the Red Line. … Should I bring a mask based on what’s happening with respiratory disease in my community? Should I have my birthday party outside or inside?’ Those kinds of decisions, I think, are where we would like to move toward,” Rivers said."
Meg Tirrell notes during the summit, "At this White House summit, Ashish K. Jha showing how effective he is as a communicator. Notes right now, "there are reasonable people who disagree on policy... the problem is that we don't often begin with the same book of facts....says this AM, he checked weather report to decide whether to wear coat, bring umbrella. "There was no disagreement about whether it was 41 degrees and a pretty high degree of agreement that it wasn't going to rain..." vs data for #covid19.... "As a society, we can make different choices. The problem has been that we don't even begin with the same facts. ... And that, to me, is going to be a major contribution of the center."
The Troublesome U.S. Booster Gap: Via the Washington Post, "The number of Americans overall who have received a booster has essentially flatlined at 30% - about half the rate in some other Western countries - with new vaccinations overall hitting new post-2020 lows."
"A big factor is how partisan vaccines have become in the United States. Republicans form a very disproportionate share of the unvaccinated, and vaccinated Republicans are also significantly less likely to get boosted than vaccinated Democrats. That means the booster campaign has effectively exacerbated the partisan gap in protection from the coronavirus. It also means that most of the unboosted are unlikely to listen to the Biden administration."
"But partisanship doesn't explain it all. These are people who were willing to get two shots and, for whatever reason, haven't been convinced to get a third."
"Another potential reason is the confusing rollout. When Biden made the announcement in August, health officials made clear they weren't quite ready for it. The boosters wouldn't be authorized for all adults until three months later - two months after the Sept. 20 date the White House had pegged for the launch of its campaign. Some health advisers grumbled that Biden's announcement put pressure on apolitical health advisers, something that happened repeatedly in the Trump administration. And what followed was a series of mixed and muddled messages about who was eligible to get boosters, who was advised to get them and when."
Parents Say Mask-Optional Policies Leave Out High-Risk Students: Via Pew.
What Do Europeans Think of Covid Vaccines? 82% are in favor of vaccines, with 5% saying they are ‘hesitant’ and 8% declaring themselves to be opposed to COVID-19 vaccination.
State of Affairs: Via Katelyn Jetelina.
"So, Omicron continues to change so it can continue to chip away at our immunity. We expect these small but meaningful changes will continue to occur over the next few months. This means we will be seeing more and more breakthrough infections in BA.2.12.1’s wake and beyond. We are confident, though, that the vaccines will continue to protect against severe disease and death."
Covid Hasn’t Given Up All Its Secrets. Here Are 6 Mysteries Experts Hope to Unravel: Via Stat
How will the virus evolve next?
What will future waves look like?
If you’ve never had Covid, how worried should you be right now?
How, exactly, does the virus transmit from person to person?
Will we get a new, better generation of vaccines, therapeutics, and tests?
How long before we understand long Covid?
State
California: How one district invested its Covid funds in literacy, boosting student achievement — and morale.
Florida: “Florida Rejects Publishers’ Attempts to Indoctrinate Students.”
Michigan: Detroit school district plans to scale back COVID testing next year.
New York:
Supreme Court won’t hear New York City teacher vaccine dispute.
Almost 40% of New York City parents are hesitant to vaccinate their young children for COVID-19, according to a new study by researchers at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy.
South Carolina: Department of Education dedicates $14.5 million to expand summer, after-school programs.
Washington: Teachers union asks Seattle Public Schools to add more COVID-19 protocols.
Wisconsin: Masks optional at Milwaukee Public Schools starting today.
Economic Recovery
Workers Are Back in Offices. Why Does It Feel So Weird? Via the Washington Post.
"In my opinion, we’re actually seeing far greater struggles on the human side as people are trying to figure out exactly what the new routines are going to be and as organizations are struggling to adjust to people’s new beliefs about work," Knight told The Washington Post."
"Being around other people feels draining. Swapping flexibility for anything mandatory seems like a downgrade. Old routines have become foreign and taxing: suiting up and commuting, making calls in front of co-workers, navigating run-ins with bosses in the restroom, picking a seat in the company kitchen. And the new stuff is weirder, like schlepping into work just to sit on Zoom calls in an empty office."
"The carnival of interpersonal interaction that is the typical office now feels overwhelming for many. Research shows that the unconscious parade of calculations and adjustments we make when we’re around other people — monitoring our thoughts, emotions and communication and reacting accordingly — is “extremely exhausting," Chawla said."
Successful Workforce Development Programs: Four Lessons from Four Decades of Federal Reserve Research and Outreach.
War in Ukraine: Global Update and Risk Impact: Good executive brief by BCG Global Advantage and Risk & Compliance Practice Areas.
When Your Job Helps The Rest of America Work: Via Vox, "Why so many are giving up on child care work and what it will mean for everyone else."
The Fed Has Never Fixed a Problem Like This: Via WSJ:
“During the past 80 years, the Fed has never lowered inflation as much as it is setting out to do now—by 4 percentage points—without causing recession. In this case, the central bank will need a number of factors out of its control to break its way.”
“Still, Fed officials can find reason for both optimism and caution from history. In seven different episodes during the past 80 years, inflation has fallen as much as the Fed bank wants it to drop now, with varying outcomes. The episodes suggest that the desired scenario is theoretically possible though the risk of failure is high, especially because the bank is chasing inflation that already exists, rather than addressing the problem before it arises as it did in some earlier episodes.”
Resources
What Local Governments and Community Organizations Can Do Right Now to Prepare for BEAD Funding: Via the National Broadband Resource Hub.
Online Tutoring Can Be Effective, Research Shows: Via EdWeek.
"A paper published last month by researchers in Spain documents the effects of an online math tutoring program provided for about 175 socioeconomically disadvantaged students 12 to 15 years old in Madrid and Catalonia in the spring of 2021, when schools had reopened after COVID-19 shutdowns."
"The researchers found that compared to a control group, students in the tutoring program had higher standardized test scores and grades, and were less likely to repeat a grade. They also were more likely to report putting increased effort into their schoolwork."
"A paper published in February 2021 focuses on an Italian tutoring program delivered by volunteer university students to middle school students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds in the spring of 2020, when schools were shut down. The 523 tutors were from a Milan university; the 1,000 student recipients were from 76 schools all over Italy. The students completed online, self-paced training modules designed by pedagogy experts. Those same experts supported the tutors in their work during the program."
"The researchers found the program improved students’ scores on standardized tests, their attendance, the amount of time they devoted to homework, and their sense of well-being."
With Millions of Kids on the Line, Can Schools Make Tutoring Work?: Via EdWeek.
A Call to Service: Our Schools Need You to Step Up: Deborah Delisle in Hechinger.
7 Zoom Hacks: Some of these are useful.
I didn't know you could set your slides to be a virtual background during a presentation.
Alpacas: Ooo happyyy daaay.