No less than 1,000 faculties throughout 35 states have closed for in-person studying due to COVID-19 for the reason that starting of the varsity 12 months, in accordance with Burbio, a New York-based knowledge service that’s monitoring Ok-12 faculty reopening tendencies.
Colleges listed within the firm’s tracker have closed for wherever from in the future to a number of weeks. Most briefly moved to distant studying. Others briefly closed with no instruction. And a small quantity delayed the beginning of college or shifted into hybrid studying, in accordance with Burbio.
The rising variety of closures comes amid a battle over masks mandates in faculties and a surge in pediatric COVID-19 instances largely due to the extremely contagious delta variant.
Late final month, President Joe Biden’s administration introduced it’s investigating 5 states which might be banning districts from mandating masks, on the grounds that such insurance policies violate the civil rights of youngsters with disabilities and underlying well being circumstances.
“The division will combat to guard each scholar’s proper to entry in-person studying safely and the rights of native educators to place in place insurance policies that permit all college students to return to the classroom full-time in-person safely this fall,” Schooling Secretary Miguel Cardona mentioned in an announcement.
Additionally within the information:
► New Zealand reported its first COVID demise in over six months on Saturday – a girl in her 90s who had underlying well being circumstances, in accordance with authorities. New Zealand stays in lockdown that started final month after one optimistic case.
► A German man attacked well being care employees at a vaccination web site after he demanded a vaccination certificates with out receiving a shot, and so they refused to present it to him. Police mentioned he grew to become violent and injured two employees, who have been handled in a hospital and later launched.
► Michigan faculties this 12 months are nonetheless required to show details about reported COVID-19 instances publicly on their web sites, beneath an order from the state well being division final October. However a few of these dashboards are onerous to search out or navigate.
📈 At present’s numbers: The U.S. has recorded greater than 39.9 million confirmed COVID-19 instances and greater than 648,100 deaths, in accordance to Johns Hopkins College knowledge. World totals: Greater than 220.4 million instances and 4.5 million deaths. Greater than 175.8 million Individuals – 52% of the inhabitants – have been absolutely vaccinated, in accordance with the CDC.
📘 What we’re studying: Pediatric ICUs are beneath stress as extra children are getting hospitalized for COVID-19, RSV or each on the identical time. Learn extra right here.
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The White Home is getting ready for future pandemics
The Biden administration unveiled a plan Friday to improve the nation’s skill to reply to organic threats, evaluating its scope to the Apollo Program, which was initiated to place a person on the moon.
“We want higher capabilities as a result of there is a cheap chance that one other critical pandemic that might be worse than COVID-19 will happen quickly and probably even inside the subsequent decade,” mentioned Eric Lander, director of the White Home Workplace of Science and Expertise Coverage.
The fee? $65.3 billion over the following decade. An excellent chunk of that cash will go towards vaccine growth and distribution, the White Home mentioned. Administration officers are hoping an preliminary $15 billion will move by way of Congress as a part of the huge $3.5 trillion spending package deal on the desk for this fall.
The plan consists of:
- Dramatically increasing the arsenal of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
- Strengthening public well being techniques each within the U.S. and internationally.
- Bettering the flexibility of the U.S. to provide private protecting gear and different very important provides.
- Bettering early detection of pandemic threats.
- Making a centralized “mission management” to be answerable for an effort that may draw on a number of federal companies.
Hawaii struggles with delta surge, begs vacationers to remain away
Hawaii has already reported greater than twice as many coronavirus instances this 12 months because it did in all of 2020, Johns Hopkins College knowledge present.
The info present Hawaii had been reporting 66,778 COVID-19 instances by way of Saturday afternoon. It had reported 22,007 instances in all of 2020.
The annual comparisons do not start to inform how a lot Hawaii struggled with a wave of instances pushed by the delta variant. In simply the final month, Hawaii has reported extra instances than it did in all of final 12 months.
Hawaii’s governor has begged vacationers to steer clear of the islands by way of October.
– Mike Stucka
‘I am conflicted’:Vacationers weigh Hawaii plans after governor begs vacationers to not come amid COVID-19 surge
Kentucky well being care employees sue over COVID-19 vaccine mandate
Claiming obligatory COVID-19 vaccines are “a fraud upon all the American public,” 40 workers of St. Elizabeth Healthcare have filed a federal lawsuit difficult a requirement they be vaccinated.
The 93-page lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court docket in Covington, comes amid a surge in COVID-19 instances – largely amongst unvaccinated sufferers – that threatens to overwhelm most Kentucky hospitals. Fueled by the delta variant, COVID-19 continues to have an effect on Kentuckians in report numbers.
The lawsuit follows an announcement Aug. 5 by many of the state’s main hospital techniques, together with St. Elizabeth’s, primarily based in Northern Kentucky, that they might require vaccines for all employees with out a medical or spiritual exemption to strive management the surge of COVID-19 in Kentucky.
– Deborah Yetter, Louisville Courier Journal
Denmark bans unvaccinated US vacationers
Denmark is banning unvaccinated vacationers from the US, becoming a member of a rising listing of European Union member states which might be tightening journey restrictions as COVID-19 instances rise.
The change comes after the nation moved the U.S. to its “orange” journey advisory class on Saturday. Beforehand, U.S. vacationers might enter Denmark by exhibiting a damaging take a look at or proof of restoration. Entry necessities don’t change for absolutely vaccinated U.S. vacationers, who are nonetheless exempt from testing and quarantine necessities.
The Netherlands, one other EU member state, on Saturday began implementing a quarantine interval for vaccinated U.S. vacationers and prohibited entry amongst unvaccinated vacationers. Bulgaria introduced it will prohibit journey from the U.S. and Italy added testing and self-isolation necessities for U.S. vacationers. Learn extra right here.
– Bailey Schulz
What we all know concerning the mu variant
The mu variant has been marked as a “variant of curiosity” by the World Well being Group and has unfold throughout Chile, Peru and components of the U.S. and Europe.
The mu variant is the fifth variant of curiosity at the moment being monitored by the group. Stuart Ray, a professor of medication at John Hopkins College, mentioned the variant accounts for many instances in Colombian, Chile and Peru, however just some instances within the U.S. as of proper now.
As of now, Ray mentioned what’s regarding is mu obtains similarities to deadlier variants such because the delta variant, which is the reason for over 99% of instances within the U.S. Learn extra right here.
– Gabriela Miranda
Contributing: The Related Pres
