Wednesday, September 23, 2020

WaPo: Little Evidence C19 Spreads in Schools

The reopening of schools has gone better than expected.  A team of researchers at Brown University found a "low level of infection" of the Covid-19 virus among teachers and students.  The Washington _____ reported:

Thousands of students and teachers have become sick with the coronavirus since schools began opening last month, but public health experts have found little evidence that the virus is spreading inside buildings, and the rates of infection are far below what is found in the surrounding communities.

This early evidence, experts say, suggests that opening schools may not be as risky as many have feared and could guide administrators as they charter the rest of what is already an unprecedented school year.

“Everyone had a fear there would be explosive outbreaks of transmission in the schools. In colleges, there have been. We have to say that, to date, we have not seen those in the younger kids, and that is a really important observation,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. (KF: The good doctor has flip-flopped several times on this issue.) ...

Most of the nation’s largest districts opened with fully remote teaching, so the data are largely from smaller communities. And the pandemic may grow worse as flu season and winter approaches.

But the fact that large swaths of the country opened for in-person school while others did not offers the more cautious districts a chance to observe how things have gone elsewhere in charting their next steps.

 On Wednesday, researchers at Brown University, working with school administrators, released their first set of data from a new National COVID-19 School Response Data Dashboard, created to track coronavirus cases. It found low levels of infection among students and teachers....

 Tracking infections over a two-week period beginning Aug. 31, it found that 0.23 percent of students had a confirmed or suspected case of the coronavirus. Among teachers, it was 0.49 percent. Looking only at confirmed cases, the rates were even lower: 0.078 percent for students and 0.15 percent for teachers.

“These numbers will be, for some people, reassuring and suggest that school openings may be less risky than they expected,” said Emily Oster, an economics professor at Brown University who helped create the tracker. She noted that the school coronavirus rates are “much lower” than those in the surrounding community....

 The information for her dashboard is voluntarily reported by schools and school districts, both public and private, including schools that offer in-person classes and those that are fully remote. As of Wednesday morning, the project had data from more than 550 schools,....

 Separately, early data from Texas also show low levels of infection. In Texas, about 2,350 students reported positive coronavirus tests — or about 0.21 percent of the 1.1 million students attending school in person, according to data released last week. An additional 2,175 school employees tested positive, although a rate could not be calculated because it was not clear how many of the state’s more than 800,000 school staff members were working in school buildings.

Teacher’s unions in Texas that keep track of infections say they have been surprised by how low it was. ....
There’s also evidence from the Northeast. The Network for Public Education, a nonprofit advocacy organization that supports traditional public school districts, has been tracking 37 school districts in Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania.
In the weeks since school has started, there have been 23 confirmed cases of the coronavirus across 20 schools and no indication that the virus was spread in schools, said Carol Burris, the network’s executive director....

 “We’re not seeing schools as crucibles for onward transmission,” said Sara Johnson, associate professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “It’s reasonable to say that it looks promising at this point.”... Rest of article.

How is Mississippi doing? Check out the stats from Qualtrics.com.  Keep in mind the statistics posted below are rates, not absolute numbers.  However, the report is encouraging. 









23 comments:

Anonymous said...

The teachers and other democrats won't like this finding-

Anonymous said...

Blah... Blah.... Blah.... it is just another virus people. The media has played the liberals like fools.

Anonymous said...

Regardless, we will ALL still die. I actually pity those who obsess over this as what will end them and all of mankind. Ya'll just need to get a beer or shot of your favorite liquor and relax. Those that don't imbibe, well, start.

Anonymous said...

Sit calmly, maintain your distance, and wear a mask consistently. Apparently mitigation works. Now if we could just convince the general public to do the same thing maybe we would see COVID controlled until a vaccine can be rolled out.

Anonymous said...

masks work. if there weren’t masks (like some of the schools were to
begin with) the covid rate is really high.

masks absorb the aerosols that everyone expels. this is what spreads the virus. don’t be a sheeple and think they don’t work.

Anonymous said...

@2:30 it's not just another virus, because it is more dangerous than the flu and some people suffer long term issues. Anyway my daughter goes back to school every day now and I have not heard anything about anyone having covid-19 at the school. They are being very safe as far as know and what I hear from my first grader.

Anonymous said...

So is the Washington Post no longer fake news?

Pappy Odaniel said...

@2:52... this silver bullet mask theory has 0 basis. We gonna sop up them aerosols with my Hotty Toddy mask. These particles are beyond microscopic. A British Dr during the Spanish Flu said mask wearing is like trying to keep flies out by using a barbed wire fence. Absorbed? What is the absorptive capacity of the material you are slapping across your face? In our humidity you have already reached it when you step out of your car...and finally, how does a healthy person wearing a mask prevent the spread of a disease they do not have? Oh, I know, it’s like Brawndo it has what plants crave...electrolytes!

Anonymous said...

"So is the Washington Post no longer fake news?" Have no idea about that, but my two keets enjoy it as much as the CL.

Anonymous said...

Meanwhile, we now know that the seasonal flu vaccine increases susceptibility to COVID19, and now Tate is pushing for that vaccine, who’s he work for now?

Anonymous said...

4:13 There is no way to know for sure that you don't have COVID. Half the people don't get symptoms severe enough to raise the issue, and a substantial portion of the others don't get symptoms until a couple of days after they can spread the virus.

We don't need healthy people to wear masks, but we do need people who don't realize they are sick to do so. Since nobody can tell one from the other that means universal masks are necessary.

GM said...

Butt-Head:
" Huh, Huh . . . someone said WAPO."

Beavis:
"Shut up dumb ass and put your mask on your face, not your butt.

Butt-head:
" My butt may carry the covid. Huh huh . . . ".








Anonymous said...

5:11 finally nails it in a way our governor and president have failed to do over 30 hours of yacking. Thank you

Anonymous said...

Worth noting that this is only data since Aug 31. And, only on the youngest. As Dr. O notes, there HAVE been explosive outbreaks among the colleges and 20s types.

But, hope this is true. Still, when flu and months and months of school time kicks in, things may not seem so rosy.

Also, WaPo had a new article above this one on mutation in Houston. Interesting.

Vaccine coming. Hope we can figure out how long to expect immunity. Keep masking and social distancing.

We have some crappy numbers in Miss. but at least Rt is low. Hope.

Anonymous said...

Yeah just wait two weeks then see how it is; if it’s not bad, you just wait 2 more weeks, it will be BAD! As infinitum

Calm Down said...

@ 5:11 PM

Since you believe that there is no way to determine if a person has covid (tests?), you want everyone to wear a mask.

If your mask protects you, why do I have to wear one?

Can you point to a study that shows the effectiveness of a mask in preventing transmission of a virus, keeping in mind that the public is wearing bandanas and homemade cloths?

At what point will you determine that masks are no longer needed, keeping in mind that we've never worn them before?

Anonymous said...

"Meanwhile, we now know that the seasonal flu vaccine increases susceptibility to COVID19, and now Tate is pushing for that vaccine, who’s he work for now?" Really, CDC says otherwise. Read down to Flu and Covid.

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/keyfacts.htm

Anonymous said...

a mask absorbs what you breathe out. aka--stops you from spreading what you have to others. it does not really filter out what you breathe in-except if you have an n95 mask, then its doing just that also.

a mask is to protect others. you know--the whole thing about not wanting to unintentionally harm someone else. we used to have care and concern for our neighbors. too bad we've thrown that away...

Anonymous said...

I love how they're so surprised by an outcome that pediatricians and epidemiologists (primarily outside of the US panic zone) for months have been saying is/will be the reality.
@4:13 you just don't understand how the magic mask talisman works. It doesn't matter that you might as well be wearing a sieve, or that it's wide open on the top, sides, and bottom. When you breathe out, the magic mask hands snatch that virus right out of the air. Unfortunately the magic mask hands can't catch virus if you're inhaling, our EXPERTS! are still working on that. Also you're probably a racist, so who cares what you think anyway?

Calm Down said...

@ 10:26 AM

Is there any study that you point to that would support your claim? Does it give you pause that we've never called for a mask mandate for the seasonal flu? Do you believe that we should demand masks each year to prevent flu transmission?

Jacksun said...

While the kids may fare relatively well, not so the parents and grandparents they bring C19 home to. This is from the NYT Covid Briefing for Sept. 24:

"New research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that young adults who catch the virus may seed waves of infection that travel up the generations, infecting middle-aged and then older people. The new data suggests that outbreaks linked to bars, restaurants and college dorms aren’t just dangerous for the 20-somethings — but for their friends, families and neighbors as well.
After analyzing case data and hospital visits this summer, C.D.C. researchers concluded that spikes in cases among young people were often quickly followed by a jump in infections in older people. In Southern states like Alabama, Florida and Georgia, a spike in cases among those ages 20 to 39 led to a jump in cases nine days later among those ages 40 to 59, followed by a jump in cases 15 days later among those 60 and older."

Calm Down said...

@ 5:33 PM

may seed waves

data suggests that

were often quickly followed

Odd that medical facts are presented as speculation.

But that's just my reading.

Anonymous said...

It's not a surprise that adults in authority have an easier time getting younger ages to follow instructions. It's not a surprise that colleges and universities who no longer have the authority they once enjoyed, have a higher rate. Nor is it a shock that high school students can be rebellious but are more controllable than at college age.

Nor is it a surprise that many schools have really good plans in place and "better plant and equipment" and others not as good.

What is a surprise is what ridiculous conclusions are reached from a report on ALL schools as if ALL are the same .

And, that even here our numbers aren't today are more than 3 times that of Monday and double digit daily deaths continue unabated.

Nor has anyone bothered to point out how many of those with mild symptoms are not being tested at all. They don't want to quarantine or be a party to confirming cases for political reason or be accused of spread. Sadly, I know of 1 person who infected 4 friends and 1 of her friend's husband died. She didn't want to miss a beach trip. And, her very conservative town's reaction is " poor dear", she wasn't really sure she was sick.

So, carry on and let's see what October and November and December bring. It won't be enough vaccines...there's that lack of dry ice shipping problem but who bothers with annoying details anymore?








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Trollfest '07 was such a success that Jackson Jambalaya will once again host Trollfest '09. Catch this great event which will leave NE Jackson & Fondren in flames. Othor Cain and his band, The Black Power Structure headline the night while Sonjay Poontang returns for an encore performance. Former Frank Melton bodyguard Marcus Wright makes his premier appearance at Trollfest singing "I'm a Sweet Transvestite" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Kamikaze will sing his new hit, “How I sold out to da Man.” Robbie Bell again performs: “Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be Bells” and “Any friend of Ed Peters is a friend of mine”. After the show, Ms. Bell will autograph copies of her mug shot photos. In a salute to “Dancing with the Stars”, Ms. Bell and Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith will dance the Wango Tango.

Wrestling returns, except this time it will be a Battle Royal with Othor Cain, Ben Allen, Kim Wade, Haley Fisackerly, Alan Lange, and “Big Cat” Donna Ladd all in the ring at the same time. The Battle Royal will be in a steel cage, no time limit, no referee, and the losers must leave town. Marshand Crisler will be the honorary referee (as it gives him a title without actually having to do anything).


Meet KIM Waaaaaade at the Entergy Tent. For five pesos, Kim will sell you a chance to win a deed to a crack house on Ridgeway Street stuffed in the Howard Industries pinata. Don't worry if the pinata is beaten to shreds, as Mr. Wade has Jose, Emmanuel, and Carlos, all illegal immigrants, available as replacements for the it. Upon leaving the Entergy tent, fig leaves will be available in case Entergy literally takes everything you have as part of its Trollfest ticket price adjustment charge.

Donna Ladd of The Jackson Free Press will give several classes on learning how to write. Smearing, writing without factchecking, and reporting only one side of a story will be covered. A donation to pay their taxes will be accepted and she will be signing copies of their former federal tax liens. Ms. Ladd will give a dramatic reading of her two award-winning essays (They received The Jackson Free Press "Best Of" awards.) "Why everything is always about me" and "Why I cover murders better than anyone else in Jackson".

In the spirit of helping those who are less fortunate, Trollfest '09 adopts a cause for which a portion of the proceeds and donations will be donated: Keeping Frank Melton in his home. The “Keep Frank Melton From Being Homeless” booth will sell chances for five dollars to pin the tail on the jackass. John Reeves has graciously volunteered to be the jackass for this honorable excursion into saving Frank's ass. What's an ass between two friends after all? If Mr. Reeves is unable to um, perform, Speaker Billy McCoy has also volunteered as when the word “jackass” was mentioned he immediately ran as fast as he could to sign up.


In order to help clean up the legal profession, Adam Kilgore of the Mississippi Bar will be giving away free, round-trip plane tickets to the North Pole where they keep their bar complaint forms (which are NOT available online). If you don't want to go to the North Pole, you can enjoy Brant Brantley's (of the Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance) free guided tours of the quicksand field over by High Street where all complaints against judges disappear. If for some reason you are unable to control yourself, never fear; Judge Houston Patton will operate his jail where no lawyers are needed or allowed as you just sit there for minutes... hours.... months...years until he decides he is tired of you sitting in his jail. Do not think Judge Patton is a bad judge however as he plans to serve free Mad Dog 20/20 to all inmates.

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This is definitely a Beaver production.


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There will be a hugging booth where in exchange for your young son, Frank Melton will give you a loooong hug. Trollfest will have a dunking booth where Muhammed the terrorist will curse you to Allah as you try to hit a target that will drop him into a vat of pig grease. However, in the true spirit of Separate But Equal, Don Imus and someone from NE Jackson will also sit in the dunking booth for an equal amount of time. Tom Head will give a reading for two hours on why he can't figure out who the hell he is. Cliff Cargill will give lessons with his .80 caliber desert eagle, using Frank Melton photos as targets. Tackleberry will be on hand for an autograph session. KIM Waaaaaade will be passing out free titles and deeds to crackhouses formerly owned by The Wood Street Players.

If you get tired come relax at the Fox News Tent. To gain admittance to the VIP section, bring either your Republican Party ID card or a Rebel Flag. Bringing both will entitle you to free drinks.Get your tickets now. Since this is an event for trolls, no ID is required, just bring the hate. Bring the family, Trollfest '07 is for EVERYONE!!!

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