Top Three
Under 5s: The FDA’s committee of independent vaccine experts voted overwhelmingly (21-0) to recommend Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines for infants and toddlers.
The best analysis and takeaways come, as they always do, from Emily Oster and Katelyn Jetelina. Go read them.
Some notes on Pfizer: "William Gruber, Pfizer’s senior vice president for vaccine clinical research and development, told a clear story about the company’s decisions regarding a vaccine for toddlers and preschoolers: the company feels that parents will not adhere to a vaccine that makes their kids feel very sick, and focused on finding a dose that would be effective but would also mean fewer fevers."
"The data on tolerability the company presented bear that out, with rates of adverse events that are similar to placebo. Compare this slide to the one on fevers with the Moderna shot. The problem for Pfizer is that this appears to have resulted in less efficacy. Whereas the Moderna vaccine at two doses shows an efficacy against infection of more than 40%, Pfizer reported a vaccine efficacy at two doses in its briefing documents of 28.3%. If that figure was in Pfizer’s presentation, I didn’t catch it."
"Many of the children in the Pfizer's vaccine studies have not yet received a third dose. It’s not clear whether they have dropped out, or whether not enough time has passed from their second dose. The result is that although Pfizer is talking about the three dose vaccine having 80% efficacy, that estimate is based on very small numbers."
NYT: "After two doses, Pfizer’s vaccine was about only 28% effective in preventing symptomatic infection in children aged 6 months through 4 years old. Pfizer has suggested the vaccine was 80% effective after a third dose, but the finding was based on only 10 cases out of a subset of the 1,678 trial participants."
Stat: “But giving vaccines in three doses is a logistical nightmare — especially since at present, these vaccines probably aren’t going to be co-administered with other childhood vaccines. (As I mentioned earlier, there aren’t data yet showing co-administration wouldn’t interfere with the efficacy of this vaccine or others it was being given with.) Little kids get lots of vaccines between the ages of six and 12 months. Adding three more doctor visits to get three doses of Covid vaccines — that’s asking a lot of families.”
Dr.Paul Offit to CDC: "Please make sure no one thinks 2 doses are enough for kids. They need 3, he says."
“Every state has placed an order with the federal government…except for one,” McClatchy reports.
How 100 Large and Urban Districts Are (and Aren’t) Engaging Stakeholders: CRPE in The 74.
"Of the 100 districts in our database, 68 have publicly shared plans for spending their relief dollars, and 57 have created engagement strategies for soliciting community input, according to our analysis this spring.”
“That’s an increase from 47 districts with engagement strategies in place last year at this time. Of those 57 districts, 29 designed at least two pathways for community feedback."
Teacher Survey: The Christensen Institute is out some some really fascinating new teacher survey research:
How are teachers blending and personalizing learning post-pandemic?
How have pandemic shifts affected students from diverse backgrounds?
What programs have school systems created to support their students?
Federal
Fauci: Tests positive for COVID-19. We wish him a speedy recovery.
Fed: Steps up campaign against inflation with aggressive 0.75 point rate hike, the biggest increase since 1994.
Covid-19 Research
Data Highlight Greater Impact of COVID-19 vs Flu in Children: A study in JAMA Network Open comparing COVID-19 versus flu in kids 5 years old and younger finds that the novel coronavirus led to twice the rate of admissions to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) and rates of intubation one-third higher during the first 15 months of the pandemic.
COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey, England: Long COVID and mental health, March 2022
"Nearly 1 in 50 (1.8%) primary school pupils (years from reception to year 6) and nearly 1 in 20 (4.8%) secondary school pupils (years 7 to 13) had experienced long COVID following their most recent COVID-19 infection."
"Secondary school pupils in years 7 to 13 with long COVID were significantly more likely to have a probable mental disorder (28.1%) than those without long COVID (12.3%)."
Paxlovid: Pfizer’s Paxlovid study fails to answer key questions over benefit for broader populations.
Unexplained Hepatitis: Is not more common in US children than before the pandemic, a CDC study suggests.
State
California: "According to LA County public health officials, as of June 8, the highest COVID case rate in the county is among 12 to 17-year-olds, with 762 new cases per 100,000 teens. That's more than double the rate from a month prior."
Colorado: Jeffco school district planning multiple elementary school closures. "Jeffco district leaders say 49, or 58% of district elementary schools, currently have fewer than 250 students, and/or use less than 60% building capacity."
Iowa: Gov. Reynolds signs bill banning COVID-19 vaccination requirements at schools, daycares.
Tennessee: TCAP test scores show improvement. (Press Release)
International
Australia: Concerns over students catching COVID-19 at school will no longer be considered an acceptable justification for school absence as the government starts to crack down on attendance.
Distance Education Strategies to Improve Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Via Nature.
"A randomized controlled trial of approximately 4,500 households in Botswana during the COVID-19 pandemic was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of using low-tech learning interventions during school closures."
"A simple combination of phone tutoring and SMS messages substantially improved learning in primary school children in a cost-effective manner."
Economic Recovery
Retail Sales: US retail sales fell unexpectedly in May.
More GeoPolitical Risk: "The Chinese government has issued an order, in effect from today, that frames how it will conduct "military operations other than war" to defend its interests around the world."
"Beijing is giving itself a domestic legal basis (or fig leaf) for deploying the People’s Liberation Army outside of China, notionally to protect Chinese interests and assets in the event of violence or war in a given country, or to assist in the event of a natural or humanitarian disaster. The question, of course, is how the defense of Chinese interests is interpreted."
"Xinhua reported that the six-chapter order would provide a legal basis for expanding the military’s peacetime activities to protect “property, and maintaining national sovereignty, security, development interests, and regional stability”.
"The development is in line with Beijing’s ambitions in the Pacific, where it recently acquired the power to defend its investments in Solomon Islands by force through a security deal with Honiara. It also comes as geopolitical tensions with the US rise and threats towards Taiwan increase."
Resources
Students, Psychologists Say Existing Mental Health Resources Aren’t Enough: Via Chalkbeat.
Parents Seek More Support From Employers During School Holidays: Via WSJ.
“There’s a reassessment of what’s possible on the employer side and what type of flexibility is humane and appropriate on the employee side,” says Jon Valant, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, a think tank. “Especially since everyone found a way to do it during Covid.”
Who’s at Risk When Schools’ Staffing Shortages Persist: Via EdWeek.
"In a single month, on average, 32 buses were late at least once to their destination, and 10 of those were late more than seven times, a consulting firm hired last fall by the district found. The average late bus was four to seven minutes behind schedule. And the students most likely to be late? Students from low-income households—the ones whose parents didn’t have another way to get them to school."
"It wasn’t hard to understand the origins of these problems. The district typically employs 120 bus drivers to transport roughly 9,000 students to its 21 buildings daily. This past year, only 80 of those staff positions were filled."
This is Kona: The Husky just discovered the sound activated lights. Not sure what he will do with his powers.
One final note. I appreciated the Business Roundtable inviting me to join a convening that explored the theme of creating wealth through equitable opportunity. A few highlights which touch on issues we’ve covered here in past Updates: Several of the CEOs, including Mary Barra of GM and Julie Sweet of Accenture, talked about shifting their hiring away from degrees to skills. Robert Smith of Vista Equity Partners urged states to use HBCUs as community anchor institutions as part of their federal broadband plans. I had a great discussion with Nicole Elam of the National Bankers Association on the challenges and opportunities communities of color faced with the PPP program. McKinsey’s Danielle Hinton facilitated a session with VISA’s CEO Alfred Kelly, Spencer Overton, and myself on digital divide strategies where I highlighted ways connectivity can enable just-in-time tutoring, expand access to telehealth, and power new workforce development solutions. I also suggested companies could be helpful in building capacity with states and communities to leverage the federal broadband funding as well as signing individuals up for the Affordable Connectivity Program benefit. All of that to say, it was an energizing series of discussions and I was grateful for the chance to learn more about the work BRT members are leading in communities.