NEW: Dr. Birx Warns That the Virus Must Be Under Control for Schools to Reopen
NEW: 260 Children and Staffers Contracted the Virus in Just One Week at a Georgia Summer Camp
NEW: More Than 80% of Americans Live in a County Where at Least One Infected Person Would Show Up at School
President Trump continues to defy the experts as he plays politics with American lives: Just one day after White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said that we need to control the virus before talking about reopening schools, President Trump recklessly tweeted “Open the Schools!”
But evidence is piling up that, as the virus continues to surge and 65,000 new cases are identified every day, reopening schools prematurely poses dangerous health risks to children, teachers, and communities — and could further hinder the United States in its fight against the virus.
President Trump’s Own Coronavirus Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx Says Areas With Widespread Outbreaks Need to Control the Virus Before Schools Can Reopen
White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx Declared That Areas With Widespread Cases Needed To Get The Virus Uncontrol Before Considering Reopening Schools.
- “White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said on Sunday that coronavirus outbreaks need to be controlled in the United States before schools can reopen. In an interview on CNN’s ‘State of the Union,’ host Dana Bash asked Birx about a recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield, which said schools in areas with a 5% positivity rate or higher need to use distance learning. ‘I certainly would endorse what Dr. Redfield is saying,’ Birx said. ‘In the areas where we have this widespread case increase, we need to stop the cases, and then we can talk about safely reopening.’ Birx pointed to the caseloads that can be reduced by Americans following existing recommendations from public health agencies like avoiding large groups and distancing in public places to help with reopening schools.” [Business Insider, 8/2/20]
Coronavirus Has Already Impacted Students and Teachers; Educators Fear Reopenings as Cases Rise
At Greenfield Central Junior High School In Indiana, A Student Tested Positive On The First Day The School Reopened, Forcing Anyone Who Came In Contact With Them To Quarantine For 14 Days.
- “Just hours into the first day of classes on Thursday, a call from the county health department notified Greenfield Central Junior High School in Indiana that a student who had walked the halls and sat in various classrooms had tested positive for the coronavirus. Administrators began an emergency protocol, isolating the student and ordering everyone who had come into close contact with the person, including other students, to quarantine for 14 days. It is unclear whether the student infected anyone else. ‘We knew it was a when, not if,’ said Harold E. Olin, superintendent of the Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation, but were ‘very shocked it was on Day 1.’” [New York Times, 8/1/20]
Jeff Gregorich, An Arizona Superintendent In Charge Of Reopening Schools: “ I Already Lost One Teacher To This Virus. Do I Risk Opening Back Up Even If It’s Going To Cost Us More Lives?”
- “The governor has told us we have to open our schools to students on August 17th, or else we miss out on five percent of our funding. I run a high-needs district in middle-of-nowhere Arizona. We’re 90 percent Hispanic and more than 90 percent free-and-reduced lunch. These kids need every dollar we can get. But covid is spreading all over this area and hitting my staff, and now it feels like there’s a gun to my head. I already lost one teacher to this virus. Do I risk opening back up even if it’s going to cost us more lives? Or do we run school remotely and end up depriving these kids?” [Washington Post, “Voices From The Pandemic, 8/1/20]
At A School District In Arizona Where A Teacher Became Infected While Teaching Summer School And Died Of Covid In July, At Least Four Other Staffers Have Now Tested Positive.
- “A small school district in southeastern Arizona has been hit hard by the coronavirus. Hayden-Winkelman Unified School District lost teacher Kim Byrd to COVID-19 last month. Now, four other staff members are currently infected with the virus and six others await test results. Byrd was teaching a summer class online with two other teachers when she came down with the virus. Those two other teachers also tested positive.” [12 News, 7/31/20]
Clay Robison, Spokesman For The Texas State Teachers Association: Going Back To School “Frightens” Teachers
- “[Clay] Robison said the idea of going back to school building ‘frightens’ teachers, especially those with underlying health conditions. The state is dealing with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the country. ‘One reason Texas is a hotspot now is because Gov. [Greg] Abbott reopened restaurants, hair salons, gyms, and other businesses too early in the spring,’ Robinson told Insider. ‘We cannot afford for that to happen in our schools.’” [Business Insider, 7/27/20]
An Arkansas Education Association Survey Of State Educators Found That 98 Percent Of Respondents Were Concerned About Social Distancing In School Buildings.
- “The Arkansas Education Association (AEA) recently conducted a survey that found 90% of respondents — which represented all state counties — were concerned about student health, and 98% were concerned about social distancing in school buildings.” [Business Insider, 7/27/20]
The Arkansas Survey Also Found That More Than 40 Percent Of Teachers Were Retiring Early Or Changing Professions Because Of The Pandemic.
- “More than 40% of teachers said they were retiring early or changing professions because of the coronavirus pandemic. Some teachers are even preparing wills.” [Business Insider, 7/27/20]
Pediatric Infections and Hospitalizations Have Been Increasing as the Outbreak Worsens
The Number Of Children Hospitalized In Florida For COVID-19 Surged 23 Percent In Just Eight Days.
- “On July 16, the state had a total of 23,170 children ages 17 and under who had tested positive since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Florida Department of Health. By July 24, that number jumped to 31,150. That’s a 34% increase in new cases among children in eight days. And more children in Florida are requiring hospitalization. As of July 16, 246 children had been hospitalized with coronavirus. By July 24, that number had jumped to 303. That’s a 23% increase in child Covid-19 hospitalizations in eight days.” [CNN, 7/27/20]
In Shelby County, Tennessee, 9 Percent Of Coronavirus Cases At The End Of July Were Among Those Under The Age Of 18, Compared To Only 3.9 Percent At The End Of April.
- “Currently, 9% (1,574) of all Shelby County residents with the novel coronavirus are under the age of 18. At the end of April, youth under 18 only accounted for 3.9% of cases. That number ticked upwards steadily throughout May and June, according to county health department data. Currently, Shelby County has most of the pediatric cases in Tennessee. Davidson County is not far behind at 1,451 cases.” [Memphis Commercial Appeal, 7/26/20]
Children Can Carry as Much Virus as Adults, Can Transmit to Others
A CDC Analysis Found That Children Of All Ages Are Susceptible To Coronavirus And May Spread It To Others After 260 Children And Staffers Contracted The Virus In Just One Week At A Georgia Summer Camp.
- “A new report suggests that children of all ages are susceptible to coronavirus infection and may also spread it to others… The analysis, released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, details an outbreak at a sleep-away camp in Georgia last month in which 260 children and staffers — more than three-quarters of the 344 tested — contracted the virus less than a week after spending time together in close quarters. The children had a median age of 12. The camp had required all 597 campers and staff members to provide documentation that they had tested negative for the virus before coming. Staff were required to wear masks, but children were not.” [Washington Post, 7/31/20]
Researchers At Lurie Children’s Hospital Of Chicago Found That Young Children Carry As Much Coronavirus In Their Noses As Adults.
- “Children under 5 can carry just as much of the coronavirus in their noses as older children and adults, researchers at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago reported Thursday. The study, published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, raises the possibility that young kids may be able to spread COVID-19 as easily as adults, even if they aren’t that sick.” [NBC News, 7/30/20]
Dr. Taylor Heald-Sargent, A Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist At Lurie Children’s: “Children Had Equal — If Not More — Viral RNA In Their Noses Compared To Older Children And Adults.”
- “Dr. Taylor Heald-Sargent, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Lurie Children’s, and her colleagues analyzed data from the diagnostic tests of 145 COVID-19 patients who had mild to moderate cases of the illness. The tests look for pieces of the virus’s RNA, or genetic code, to make a diagnosis. The 145 patients were split into three groups: those under 5, those ages 5 to 17, and adults ages 18 to 65. ‘Children had equal — if not more — viral RNA in their noses compared to older children and adults,’ Heald-Sargent said… Compared to adults, the young kids had anywhere from 10 to 100 times the amount of viral RNA in their upper respiratory tract, the study authors wrote. ‘This supports the idea that children are able to get infected and replicate virus and therefore shed and transmit virus just as much as older children and adults,’ [Heald-Sargent] said, noting that more research is needed to confirm this.” [NBC News, 7/30/20]
School Reopenings Impact More Than Just Children; Staff, Family Members Are at Risk
In Georgia’s Largest School District, 260 Employees Have Either Been Exposed To Or Tested Positive For Coronavirus Ahead Of Schools’ August 12 Reopening Date.
- “Georgia’s largest school district has confirmed that around 260 employees have either tested positive for Covid-19 or have been exposed… ‘As of last Thursday, we had approximately 260 employees who had been excluded from work due to a positive case or contact with a case,’ [GCPS spokeswoman Sloan] Roach said. ‘This number is fluid as we continue to have new reports and others who are returning to work,’ she added. The district — which is in the metro Atlanta area and is the largest in the school system in the state — is set to reopen with online learning on August 12.” [CNN, 8/3/20]
3.3 Million People Aged 65 Or Older Live In A Household With A School-Age Child.
- “[Children] still could present a risk to others in their household, especially in households with people at higher risk, such as older adults and others with pre-existing conditions… Our analysis finds about 6% of people age 65 or older, or about 3.3 million people, lived in a household with a school-age child (ages 5-18) in 2018 (Figure 1). Looking the other way, 4.1 million school-age children, about 7% of those between the ages of 5 and 18, live in a household with someone 65 or over.” [Kaiser Family Foundation, 7/16/20]
One In Four Teachers Has A Serious Condition That Puts Them At Higher Risk Of Serious Illness From Coronavirus.
- “One in four teachers (24%, or about 1.47 million people), have a condition that puts them at higher risk of serious illness from coronavirus (Figure). This percentage is the same as the one we found for workers overall; the challenge for school systems and for teachers in particular is the sheer volume of traffic and tight quarters in many school environments, which may make social distancing a significant challenge in many settings. For higher-risk teachers, failure to achieve safe working conditions could have very serious results.” [Kaiser Family Foundation, 7/10/20]
Where There Is Widespread Transmission, Reopening Schools Poses an Obvious Risk of Further Spread
Researchers At The University of Texas at Austin Predicted That More Than 80 Percent Of Americans Live In A County Where At Least One Infected Person Would Be Expected To Show Up At Schools With 500 Or More Students And Staff.
- “The estimates, from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, range from sobering to surprisingly reassuring, depending on the area and the size of the school. Based on current infection rates, more than 80 percent of Americans live in a county where at least one infected person would be expected to show up to a school of 500 students and staff in the first week, if school started today.” [New York Times, 7/31/20]
Researchers At The University Of Texas At Austin Predicted That In Hot Spots At Least Five Infected People Would Be Expected To Show Up At Schools With 500 Or More Students And Staff.
- “In the highest-risk areas — including Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Nashville and Las Vegas — at least five students or staff would be expected to show up infected with the virus at a school of 500 people. The high numbers reflect the rapid spread of the virus in those areas, where more than 1 in 70 people are estimated to be currently infected.” [New York Times, 7/31/20]
A Kaiser Family Foundation Review Of Available Data Found That Where There Is Already Widespread Transmission, As In Many Parts Of The United States, There Is “Clearly A Risk Of Further Spread” Associated With Reopening Schools.
- “While other countries that reopened schools have generally not experienced outbreaks in school settings, almost all had significantly lower levels of community transmission than the U.S. and greater testing and contact tracing capacity. Moreover, several disease clusters connected to schools and children have been reported. Taken together, the evidence indicates that where there is already widespread community transmission, as in many areas in the U.S., there is clearly a risk of further spread associated with reopening schools. The risks of reopening need to be considered carefully in light of the recognized benefits of in-person education.” [Kaiser Family Foundation, 7/29/20]
Data Shows That School Closings Have Saved Lives, Slowed the Spread
A Study Published By The Journal Of The American Medical Association Found That Closing All Of A State’s Schools Was Associated With A Drastic Decrease In COVID-19 Cases And Deaths.
- “A study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that closing all of a state’s schools was associated with a drastic decrease in both Covid-19 cases and deaths. And the point at which officials made that call mattered: Those states that adopted the policy while few people were testing positive saw a correlated flatter curve of cases.” [Stat News, 7/29/20]
- “Their projection found that, if schools had stayed open, there could have been roughly 424 more coronavirus infections and 13 more deaths per 100,000 residents over the course of 26 days. Extrapolate that to the American population, and the country might have seen as many as 1.37 million more cases and 40,600 more deaths, explained Samir Shah, the director of hospital medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and one of the authors of the paper. ‘These numbers seem ridiculously high and it’s mind-boggling to think that these numbers are only … in the first several weeks,’ said Shah. ‘That’s bonkers.’” [Stat News, 7/29/20]