More Kids Get Covid At Schools Without Mask Mandate: CDC Studies
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released two new studies that both show greater protections against covid for students and staff at schools where face coverings are required. Other covid development impacting children's health is also in the news.
The New York Times:
Schools With Mask Mandates Saw Fewer Outbreaks, C.D.C. Finds
School mask mandates have generated controversy in many parts of the country. Now, two studies, published on Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provide additional evidence that masks protect children from the coronavirus, even when community rates are high and the contagious Delta variant is circulating. One study, conducted in Arizona, where children returned to school in July, found that schools that did not require staff and students to wear masks were 3.5 times as likely to have a virus outbreak as schools that required universal masking. (Rabin, 9/24)
The Washington Post:
Pediatric Covid-19 Cases Rose Faster In Counties Without School Mask Requirements, CDC Says
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday offered more evidence that school mask requirements can help keep children healthy and in classrooms, showing lower spikes in pediatric coronavirus cases and fewer school outbreaks in places that require them. In an analysis of 520 U.S. counties, the CDC found that pediatric cases rose more sharply in places without school mask requirements. And in a separate report that looked at Arizona’s two most populous counties, the agency found that schools without mask requirements were 3.5 times as likely to experience an outbreak than schools with them. (Balingit, 9/24)
In related news from Kentucky —
AP:
Third Judge Blocks Gov. Lee's Mask Opt Out In Schools
A third federal judge has blocked Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s order allowing families to opt out of school mask mandates. The decision, handed down by U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw late Friday, is the latest development in the ongoing legal battle over Lee’s order launched by parents and advocates alarmed over the spike in coronavirus cases in Tennessee’s schools. Lee issued the order in August after a handful of Republican lawmakers demanded the governor call a special session so the GOP-dominant General Assembly could halt mask mandates in schools and other COVID-19 safety measures. Many students have been attending classes without masks ever since as pediatric hospitalizations reached record highs. (Kruesi, 9/25)
In updates on covid shots for children younger than 12 —
CNN:
In A Matter Of Days, Pfizer CEO Says They'll Be Ready To Ask For Approval Of A Covid-19 Vaccine For Kids
Pfizer/BioNTech plans to ask for authorization of a Covid-19 vaccine for children under 12 soon, bringing the US one step closer to offering protection to a population that has grown particularly vulnerable as the fall season gets underway. "It is a question of days, not weeks," Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla told ABC News Sunday about when the company will submit data on children ages 5 to 11 to the FDA for consideration. (Holcombe, 9/27)
In other school news —
WUSF 89.7:
Teachers Union Suggests Florida Schools May Bend The New Quarantine Rules
Florida's largest public school union is decrying the state's new ruling that students who are exposed to COVID-19 can stay in school unless they develop symptoms. But some schools might be tempted to bend the rule. The Florida Education Association says the new rule could put teachers and school employees at risk by exposing them to students who should be quarantining at home. (Newborn, 9/24)
KHN:
These Schools Use Weekly Testing To Keep Kids In Class — And Covid Out
On a recent Monday morning, a group of preschoolers filed into the gymnasium at Hillside School in the west Chicago suburbs. These 4- and 5-year-olds were the first of more than 200 students to get tested for the coronavirus that day — and every Monday — for the foreseeable future. At the front of the line, a girl in a unicorn headband and sparkly pink skirt clutched a zip-close bag with her name on it. She pulled out a plastic tube with a small funnel attached. Next, Hillside superintendent Kevin Suchinski led the student to a spot marked off with red tape. Suchinski coached her how to carefully release — but not “spit” — about a half-teaspoon’s worth of saliva into the tube. (Herman, 9/27)
CNN:
How Child Covid-19 Cases Changed Life For These Pediatricians - CNN
The unrelenting nature of the pandemic has overwhelmed health care workers across the country. And for those in pediatric care, they've had to overcome many new obstacles. For some, it's making children feel comfortable in an intimidating environment. For others, it's navigating the stress of a child's diagnosis on top of the family's financial insecurity. And many providers are struggling to adapt virtual visits for patients who can't always describe what they are feeling. (Holcombe, 9/26)
And for the second year in a row, parents ask, "Is it safe to go trick-or-treating?" —
CNBC:
CDC Director On Whether Kids Should Go Trick-Or-Treating On Halloween
Kids should be able to go trick-or-treating this Halloween with a couple of caveats, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Sunday. “I certainly hope so,” Walensky said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” when asked whether it’s safe for children to go trick-or-treating this year. “If you’re able to be outdoors, absolutely,” she said. (Clifford, 9/26)
