Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Lessons Learned As More Schools Venture Into Reopening
USA Today: School COVID Cases: Kids In Class At Most Big Districts As US Surges
The U.S. has entered a second round of back-to-school, just as the coronavirus surges around the nation. In smaller school districts, careful in-person reopenings in August and September didn’t lead to an explosion of COVID-19 cases. And now, the country's largest school systems, which had largely eschewed in-person instruction, are venturing partially back into the classroom. (Aspegren and Richards, 11/1)
Indianapolis Star: Indiana Schools Need Help To Keep Classrooms Open As Cases Rise
Nearly all of Indiana’s schools have finally reopened for in-person instruction, but it may not last long. School leaders across the state are warning families that the recent surge of coronavirus cases could push school back online. “We can't put our schools in bubbles,” said Aleesia Johnson, superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools. IPS, the state’s largest district, just reopened for in-person instruction earlier this month. “While we are being very rigorous and diligent about practices like social distancing and masking for all of our students, there's no denying that if, in the community around us, the virus rate is increasing, that's going to have some level of impact on our schools.” (Herron, 10/30)
The New York Times: In San Francisco, Virus Is Contained But Schools Are Still Closed
As a third wave of coronavirus infections has begun to take off across much of the country, San Francisco has been a bright spot. After experiencing a surge of cases over the summer, the city has tamped down infections to near their lowest levels since the pandemic began. Restaurants, movie theaters, and museums are open at 25 percent of capacity. One crucial part of the city, however, remains firmly closed: The public schools. (Taylor, 11/1)
In related news —
CIDRAP: Review Suggests Higher Transmission In Older Schoolchildren
A literature review today in The Journal of Infectious Diseases found that SARS-CoV-2 appeared to have a more limited spread in primary schools compared with secondary/high schools, although mitigation measures and community case levels were also factors. The researchers also found that children under 10 years old appeared to be relatively less susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection and that serologic prevalence may be higher in younger adults under 35. The authors, from Harvard University and the University of St. Andrews in Britain, included in their review 14 studies that looked at how susceptibility, infectivity, and seroprevalence differed across age-groups. (10/30)
AP: Families, Day Cares Feel Strain Of New COVID-19 Health Rules
Joelle Wheatley hit her pandemic-parenting rock bottom after her son was sent home from day care for a second time, with the sniffles, due to stricter health guidelines in a symptom-sensitive COVID-19 world. It was supposed to be Jacob’s first day back after a stressful 10-day home quarantine for another mild symptom that turned out to be harmless. Frustrated, desperate — there were no other care options, and she needed to focus on work — and certain that the 2-year-old’s runny nose and cough were also benign, the Seattle mom defied the day care’s orders and brought him back the next day anyway. (Ho, 11/2)
