Top Three
14 Students Killed, 1 Teacher Dead: In elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
"Uvalde Memorial Hospital had said 15 students were being treated in the hospital's emergency department in the wake of the incident." More via CNN.
This is the deadliest school shooting since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre in South Florida in 2018. Seventeen people died in that shooting, with another 17 injured.
COVID-19 Rebound After Paxlovid Treatment: CDC issued an emergency health alert.
"Paxlovid continues to be recommended for early-stage treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 among persons at high risk for progression to severe disease."
"COVID-19 rebound has been reported to occur between 2 and 8 days after initial recovery and is characterized by a recurrence of COVID-19 symptoms or a new positive viral test after having tested negative."
"A brief return of symptoms may be part of the natural history of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection in some persons, independent of treatment with Paxlovid and regardless of vaccination status. Limited information currently available from case reports suggests that persons treated with Paxlovid who experience COVID-19 rebound have had mild illness; there are no reports of severe disease."
"There is currently no evidence that additional treatment is needed with Paxlovid or other anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapies in cases where COVID-19 rebound is suspected."
When Will Kids under Five Get COVID Vaccines? And Other Questions: Via Scientific American.
Why has it taken so long to authorize vaccines for those younger than age five?
"There are several reasons for the delay. Since the risk of death and severe illness was greatest in adults, clinical trials with older age groups took priority as initial efforts to develop a vaccine got underway. Testing new immunizations in adults before children “is also a standard convention in vaccine development,” says Kathryn Edwards, a pediatrician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “We have to be very careful about giving novel vaccines to healthy kids.”
"Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna have spent months trying to balance COVID protection against potential side effects by testing their vaccines in different dosages and varying the number of doses. Moderna settled on a two-shot regimen of 25 micrograms per dose each for young kids, whereas Pfizer and BioNTech’s pediatric regimen consists of three consecutive doses of three micrograms each. Conducting these dose-ranging studies has been time-consuming."
Have there been any side effects or safety concerns with the vaccines in young kids?
"Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines are somewhat reactogenic, or prone to inducing fever, achiness, malaise and other inflammatory responses. Fever in particular raises pediatric concerns because it can trigger seizures in babies and young children. Yet the evidence so far shows that children achieve strong immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, with surprisingly low vaccine doses, “and this is important for reducing side effects,” Permar says."
What data will the FDA consider in making its decision?
"Apart from safety, a primary consideration is how well the vaccines protect against symptomatic infections. When they were first authorized in December 2020, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine achieved 95 percent protection against severe disease, whereas the Moderna shot had 94.1 percent efficacy. Moderna has reported that its vaccine has far lower efficacy rates of just 37 to 51 percent in children younger than six. On Monday Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their three-dose vaccine was 80 percent effective at preventing symptomatic disease in children under age five."
"Crucially, both vaccines target an ancestral strain of the virus that has long since been replaced by newer variants. More recent ones, such as Omicron and its subvariants, are better at evading vaccine immunity—which explains why the current efficacy numbers are lower in the kids’ trial."
"Whether Moderna’s lower efficacy figures will satisfy the FDA’s strict standards remains to be seen. But in his interview with Slavitt, Califf affirmed that authorizing the vaccine based on the company’s reported efficacy rates cannot be ruled out."
Covid-19 Research
Germany on Boosters for 5-11 Yr Olds: "Germany's vaccine advisory panel said one COVID-19 shot was enough for healthy five- to 11-year-olds because most of them had already undergone an infection, maintaining its cautious approach."
"The view by the panel of 18 appointees, known as STIKO, contrasts with European Union regulators' approval for a two-shot regimen in that age group. U.S. regulators last week even authorized a third, booster shot for the group."
Children and COVID-19: AAP State-Level Data Report: For the week ending May 17, more than 107,000 COVID-19 infections were reported in kids, up 72% from 2 weeks ago.
BA.2.12.1 Becomes The Dominant Variant in the US: According to the CDC.
COVID Survivors Struggle With Pulmonary Embolisms, Breathing Issues: According to the CDC.
Covid Can Cause Ongoing Damage to Heart, Lungs and Kidneys: Study / Guardian story.
“Even fit, healthy individuals can suffer severe Covid-19 illness and to avoid this, members of the public should take up the offer of vaccination,” said Prof Colin Berry, of the University of Glasgow, which led the CISCO-19 (Cardiac imaging in Sars coronavirus disease-19) study.
“Our study provides objective evidence of abnormalities at one to two months post-Covid and these findings tie in with persisting symptoms at that time and the likelihood of ongoing health needs one year later,” Berry added."
A Test-to-Stay Modified Quarantine Program for COVID-19 in Schools: Study.
"Daily, rapid on-site antigen testing is a safe and feasible alternative to mandatory quarantine and can be used to maximize safe in-person learning time during the pandemic."
State
California: With increases in COVID-19 cases in schools and communities, the San Diego Unified School District has a plan to reinstate mask mandates starting on Wednesday.
Missouri: Is expanding access to summer school this year to address learning loss.
New York: The US Supreme Court turned away a challenge to New York’s requirement that schoolchildren be vaccinated against serious diseases, refusing to question the state’s 2019 repeal of its longstanding exemption for families with religious objections. The justices without comment left in place a state court ruling that said New York wasn’t targeting religion when it eliminated the exemption after the worst measles outbreak in a quarter century. The vaccine requirement applies to children under 18 in both public and private schools.
Rhode Island: Providence Public Schools brings back mask mandate after CDC elevates COVID risk.
Tennessee: Via The 74, "How Grade-Level Literacy Doubled in Just 2 Months in a Rural Tennessee District."
Texas:
Virginia: Under the P-EBT program, parents of children who missed at least one day of school because of a “documented COVID-19-related issue” could receive between $21 and $127.
West Virginia: West Virginia Superintendent of Schools parachutes from 14,000 feet to promote enlistment.
"The West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) and the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) have designated enlistment as one of the three E’s along with education and employment as a post-secondary career readiness pathway."
Economic Recovery
Chief Economists Outlook: Via WEF.
"While the effects on overall economic activity are currently expected to be less severe than those experienced in the wake of the first COVID lockdown, the combined impact of these shocks means a continued focus on managing crises, a high risk of secondary shocks, and a diversion from investment in increasing productivity, social mobility, sustainability, stability and resilience."
"Geopolitical uncertainty and polarization may also contribute to driving the global economy deeper into fragmentation, with longer-term consequences for trade, prices and living standards. In combination, these shifts have resulted in the global economy entering a new phase of high volatility with fewer mechanisms for global coordination and collaboration, compounding the effects on the most vulnerable economies and individuals."
Geopolitical Risk: WSJ: “President Biden said he would maintain longstanding U.S. policy toward Taiwan, a day after triggering global confusion when he said the U.S. would respond militarily to any effort by China to take the island by force.”
What he said: “‘My policy has not changed at all. I stated that when I made my statement yesterday,’ he told reporters here when asked whether he would send U.S. troops to Taiwan if China invaded.”
The stepback: As NYT’s Peter Baker reports from Seoul, this is actually the third time Biden has suggested that the U.S. would defend Taiwan if China attacked — and in each instance, as on other issues, his off-script commentary has prompted a staff scramble to clean it up.
Politico China reporter Phelim Kine goes further, writing that the comment “may actually pave the way to conflict in the Taiwan Strait.”
Drone Delivery: Walmart customers in six states will soon be able to have their orders delivered by drone in less than 30 minutes, Axios reports. More via CNBC.
Resources
Why Students Want Schools To Do More About Mental Health: Via The Conversation.
Experiential Learning and VR Will Reshape the Future of Education: New report out of the World Economic Forum.
What the Massive Shift to 1-to-1 Computing Means for Schools: Via EdWeek:
"An exclusive survey by the EdWeek Research Center shows that about two-thirds of district leaders recalled providing one school-issued digital learning device for every middle and high school student prior to the pandemic. About 40 percent said the same for elementary school kids."
"But by March of 2021, 90 percent of district leaders surveyed said they were providing a device for every middle and high school student, and 84 percent said they were doing the same for elementary school students."
Dog Waited With His Best Friend: Who was hit by a car.
"Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines are somewhat reactogenic, or prone to inducing fever, achiness, malaise and other inflammatory responses. Fever in particular raises pediatric concerns because it can trigger seizures in babies and young children. Yet the evidence so far shows that children achieve strong immunity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, with surprisingly low vaccine doses, “and this is important for reducing side effects,” Permar says."
What it doesn't say is that they are safe for kids. Yay that they get immunity, but what else do they get? How serious/common are the fevers and seizures?