Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Rise In Suicides, School District In Nevada Reopens
The Hill: Las Vegas-Area District Moves To Partially Reopen Schools Amid Surge In Student Suicides
The Clark County School District in Nevada is moving to partially reopen schools in response to a surge of student suicides, The New York Times reports. Eighteen students in the county took their own lives in the final nine months of 2020, the Times reports, leading the Clark County school board to approve returning some elementary school grades and struggling classes back to in-person learning despite the continuing spread of the coronavirus. (Choi, 1/24)
Chicago Sun Times: Chicago Teachers Union Votes To Refuse In-Person Work, Defy Chicago Public Schools’ Reopening Plan
Chicago Teachers Union members have voted to defy Chicago Public Schools’ reopening plans and continue working from home Monday because of health and safety concerns. City officials had said in recent days they would view the collective refusal of in-person work as a strike, but in response to Sunday’s vote results said they will delay the scheduled return of thousands of teachers and staff until Wednesday “to ensure we have the time needed to resolve our discussions without risking disruption to student learning.” (Issa, 1/24)
AP: With COVID-19 Variant Positives, Michigan Pauses Athletics
The entire University of Michigan athletic department is pausing after several positive tests for the new COVID-19 variant that transmits at a higher rate. The state Department of Health and Human Services said Sunday it issued recommendations for the school, although not an order. The school said Saturday night its move followed the positive COVID-19 tests for several individuals linked to the athletic department. The entire department could be in quarantine for two weeks. (1/25)
In other pediatric news —
1/22: Reports Detail Pediatric Eye Injuries Related To Hand Sanitizer
As the pandemic has made hand sanitizer ubiquitous, perhaps it was inevitable that clinicians would report sanitizer-related eye injuries in children. Two brief studies published yesterday in JAMA Ophthalmology look into this topic, with the first finding a sevenfold year-to-year increase in sanitizer/eye exposure in French children from April to August, and the second looking at two cases of toxic keratopathy (cornea injury). (1/22)
The New York Times: 5 Ways Teens Can Get More Fruits And Vegetables Into Their Diets
If you’ve been watching your teenager devour processed foods like potato chips, chicken nuggets or sugary cereals and drinks, you are not alone. Comfort food has been especially alluring during the pandemic, for parents and kids alike. But according to a report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this has been a problem for teens long before the pandemic: Most teenagers in the United States have not been eating enough fruits and vegetables. (Caron, 1/22)
